A Cat's Influence
by snuffybaby
Summary: Young Justice Universe; Adding Catwoman to it… we'll see how far I get… maybe season 1; how would YJ go if Bruce and Selina were involved during this time.
1. Chapter 1 - 101 Independence Day

Title: A Cat's Influence

Author: snuffybaby

Disclaimer: I don't own the DC Universe, the characters or the show… lots of other people do…

Rating: PG

Pairings: BMCW, mentions of Connor/M'gann, Red Arrow/Cheshire, etc

Spoilers: Young Justice (entire season 1)

Summary: Young Justice Universe; Adding Catwoman to it… we'll see how far I get… maybe season 1; how would YJ go if Bruce and Selina were involved during this time.

Author's Note: My interpretation of Catwoman is influenced by Cat-Tales by Chris Dee. Definitely should head over and read her work. Other warning, you should be familiar with the Young Justice episodes, I skipped details/episodes that I didn't think I could add much to.

* * *

101 Independence Day

Catwoman sprawled across a gargoyle watching the action on the streets below.

Batman was engaged in a fight with some random street thugs. It was a matter of minutes before he had them subdued. Securing them and signaling the GCPD, he raised his grappling gun and aimed it to the gargoyle one over from where Selina was spying. Swinging up to the ledge beside her, he commented, "You could have offered a hand."

"Where would the fun be in that?" she purred. "You know how much I enjoy watching you work."

He smirked. "Stopping by later?"

"Possibly, but you know I wouldn't want to ruin the little bird's big day."

"Robin will get over it."

She tsked. "Batman, you know the little bird won't be pleased."

He knew very well she wasn't referring to her presence at the manor. She'd been spending more and more time during the day there, that she'd practically moved in. They both knew Robin liked having her around. "It's their first step to seeing the inner working of the League."

"Step?" she said incredulously. "It's not even an inch."

"They're not ready."

"Then why don't you just say so instead of mocking them like this." She reached over and cupped his face. "Keep your secrets, but don't pretend. The younglings will just feel betrayed. They'll do something rash."

"Proof that they're not ready."

"Proof that you and your League buddies are bastards," she countered. "You either treat them like children or you treat them like your partners. Don't do it like this – this wishy-washy business. It's beneath you."

He grunted, crossing his arms. "We know what we're doing."

Standing, she snorted. "I'll enjoy saying 'I told you so.' Catch you later, Bats." She pecked him on the cheek before leaping off the roof.

"Stay out of trouble, Catwoman," he whispered softly before continuing his patrol.

* * *

Arriving back to the cave a few hours before dawn, Bruce put away his suit and updated his logs for the evening before heading up. He peeked in on Dick's room to find him chatting Selina's head off. "It's late," he said from the doorway. "Better get your rest."

"Right," Dick said eagerly, lying down and pulling his covers up. "Big day tomorrow. Goodnight, Selina, Bruce."

"Goodnight, little bird." Selina kissed his forehead before turning off his bedside lamp and leaving. She looped her arm around Bruce's as they headed to their room. "You trained him well, Bruce. You should trust him with your secrets."

"I do trust him."

She tilted her head, studying him. "You don't trust the others?"

"I don't know them."

A smile broke over her lips. "Dick's growing up. He's going to have to go off on his own eventually."

"That doesn't necessarily mean tomorrow."

"Bruce," she scolded softly.

"I'll think about it."

"Think fast or you'll be hearing me repeat one of my favorite phrases – over and over and over again."

His arms wrapped around her waist as he lifted her up into his arms. "How about I make you say one of _my_ favorite phrases," he kissed her deeply, "over and over and over again?"

"Oh, Bruce," she sighed when the kiss ended.

"Close, but not quite."

* * *

Selina hummed as she snooped in the Batcave. She was accessing the files that Bruce kept on her, adding her own love notes as she went. She hadn't been there long when she noticed the intrusion in the League database. Smirking, she put on a comm device and signaled Robin. "Little bird, what do you think you're doing?"

"Uhh, Catwoman? Nothing. Not a thing. We're being good little sidekicks and staying put inside the Hall of Justice."

"Really," she hummed. "So you're just researching Cadmus for fun?"

He sighed, knowing they were caught. "The League got called away on sorcerer business."

"Yes, I know. Wotan is causing trouble again. Dear Batman is busy, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to play with his things. Go do the same."

"Really?" he said in surprise. "You're not going to try to stop us?"

"If you and your little playmates think you can handle it, why should I stop you?"

"Thanks, Catwoman!"

"Remind Kid to get his souvenir. Ta-ta for now." She disconnected the comm and began keying in commands to access the Cadmus system. She trusted that Robin was capable of handling whatever he found at Cadmus, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to watch his back.

* * *

"Catwoman knows what we are planning on doing?" Aqualad said suspiciously. "How?"

"She probably broke into the Batcave," Robin answered as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Kid Flash placed a hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Catwoman's on our side."

He looked skeptical. "She will not inform the League?"

"Not a chance."

"And she will not inform the authorities?"

"Definitely not."

"And she is not working for Cadmus in any way?"

Robin laughed, "Can you really see someone like Catwoman reporting to anyone?"

"You will someday explain to me the relationship between Batman and Catwoman?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. Theirs is a complicated relationship. I've learned to just go with it."

* * *

"We're in too deep – literally." Robin kept trying to relay a message to the League. They were fifty-two levels deep inside Cadmus. There was no chance of getting a signal out of there.

"Any chance Catwoman would have raised the alert to them?"

"Not right away. We haven't been gone that long."

"So I guess we need to fight our way out of here."

"But first, we need to get Superboy out of there."


	2. Chapter 2 - 102 Fireworks

102 Fireworks

"I told you so."

Bruce grunted in the dark, shedding his clothes as he joined Selina in bed. "Why didn't you try to stop him?"

"Why would I?"

"Because they weren't ready."

She turned over on her side, propping her head on her elbow. "Let me get this straight. They successfully made it into the facility; saved the people from the burning building; discovered the secret underground facility run by Blockbuster and some alien-clone creatures; saved Superman's clone and all without injuring themselves. And they're not ready?"

He was silent for a long moment, before he sighed. "They haven't been trained to work as a team."

"Then train them. I know very well you and Clark were bumbling fools when you first started working together. I can't even count the number of times I escaped from the pair of you by playing you against each other. If you don't think they're ready to join the League, let them form their own team – the Junior League or some other silly name. They can't be sidekicks forever."

* * *

Selina woke because she felt Bruce's absence from bed. Pulling on her robe, she padded her way down to the Cave. Glancing up at the monitor, she tilted her head, "You're using that old cave again?"

He turned in his seat to look at her. "How do you even know about it?"

"How do I know anything?" she smirked at him. Taking a seat on the arm of his chair, she studied his plans. "You're giving the junior team their own base? That's so sweet."

"The League decided that we'll need help from a covert team."

"You mean _you_ decided. Don't be modest. We both know who runs that little league of yours. Superman and Wonder Bra might be the big guns, but if it weren't for you the League wouldn't even exist."

He simply grunted and continued to update his plans to refurbish the old base. "They'll need a den mother."

Her eyebrow quirked up. "You're not asking me, are you?"

He turned his piercing blue eyes on her. "Would you do it?"

"I'm not exactly the maternal type," she hedged. "Besides, I doubt the League would be happy to have an ex-con training the next generation."

"They'll accept you because I said so."

"And you say you don't run the League," she muttered. "Bruce, I don't think I'm the right person for the job. Get Canary or Wonder Bra to do it. Well, maybe not Wonder Bra. We don't want to raise a group of sanctimonious, self-righteous idiots. Black Canary would be a great den mother; she's got her psychology degree and everything."

"They'd learn more from you."

"Why? Because I've given you a few good hits?"

"Because you rely on your brain and your fighting abilities-"

"And not on any superpowers." Selina knew very well Bruce's feelings about superpowers. She still shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bruce, but this cat's got better things to do than babysit a bunch of kids full time."

Frowning, he turned back to his planning.

She studied his profile, brushing back a stray hair. "You didn't really think I was going to say 'yes', did you?"

"No."

"Thank you." She kissed the side of his mouth. She appreciated knowing that he respected her abilities.

"Would you agree to hold a few lessons for them?"

"Not a chance."

He shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to ask. By the way, I updated the security on all the Bat systems; and the League computer. Don't think you're getting in so easily again."

She grinned at him with a shrug of her own. "I guess I have a new project for the next time you leave on League business."

"Selina-"

She interrupted him with a kiss. "Admit it, you like it when I test your systems. Helps you patch up the holes."

"I'll keep you out one day."

"If that ever happens, I'll just use your passwords."

* * *

Robin high-fived Kid Flash as soon as the adults left them alone in their new secret base.

Kaldur introduced them all to Miss Martian. "Perhaps we should explore."

Superboy frowned before walking off on his own. He wanted to find a space for privacy.

M'gann shrugged. "I should probably go set up my own room."

The three remaining boys exchanged glances.

"Maybe another time?" Robin commented.

"I should be getting home anyway." Wally headed back toward the zeta tubes. "Do we have to let Red know we're going?"

"Red Tornado is our supervisor, not our babysitter." Robin smirked, "Besides, once we zeta, he'll know we left and where we went."

Kaldur followed them both. "When shall we plan to meet again?"

"After school tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan." KF stepped into the tube first. "Wouldn't it have been awesome if Batman was able to convince Catwoman to train us?"

Robin carried that thought all the way back to the Batcave. Putting his uniform away, he headed up to join him family for dinner. He found Selina and Alfred in the dining room. He said excitedly, "Did Bruce tell you?"

She smiled at him. "Tell me what?"

"He had Mount Justice refurbished and gave it to the Team."

"And who is the Team?" She played ignorant, exchanging smiles with Alfred.

"Wally, Kaldur and me; and Miss Martian and Superboy." He took his seat at the table. "Bruce is going to send us on missions and everything. We're going to be covert."

"Congratulations, Master Richard," Alfred said in his staid manner.

"That's very exciting. Perhaps you and your teammates should work on building your team while you wait for your first official mission. Maybe think of a name for Superboy; and perhaps convince Roy to join. It seems awfully petulant of him to not take advantage of the opportunity. He is after all your friend and should be working with you."

"Good point." Dick's head tilted, "Do you think Bruce will notice if I link Mount Justice systems to Watchtower's?"

"Only if you don't do it right." Selina remarked.

His grin widened further. "Selina, you're going to train us too, right? I'm sure Dinah will teach us a lot, but you could teach us even more."

"Dick, I doubt very much that I should have any part in teaching impressionable adolescents."

"You helped raise me," he argued.

"And I'm sure Bruce will say that I've been a bad influence. Besides, you have both Bruce and Alfred to counteract any bad habits you might pick up from me." She patted his cheek, "Little bird, you're also too smart to pick up anything really bad from me. I can't say the same for your little friends."

"You're not a bad influence." He looked to Alfred for support. "Right?"

"I've witnessed only positive changes stemming from Miss Selina's presence."

She rolled her eyes. "You're both biased." She gave Dick a firm look, "And don't think your puppy dog eyes will convince me to train your team. Even Bruce, with his considerable persuasive skills, hasn't managed to convince me."

"Doesn't mean we should stop trying." Bruce finally arrived back from Watchtower. Since Mount Justice was now in business, he setup new monitoring systems to keep an eye on the Team.

"Good luck with that." She had other things to do than train the Team… at least for now.

"So Bruce, what's our first mission going to be?" Dick asked excitedly.

Alfred set a plate in front of him. "Dinner."


	3. Chapter 3 - 103 Welcome to Happy Harbor

103 Welcome to Happy Harbor

Catwoman witnessed the entire encounter between Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash and Speedy. She decided to follow the young archer. "Tsk-tsk, little arrow. You're beginning to come off a little petulant for someone who claims to be an adult."

It was reflex that he'd drawn an arrow and aimed it at the female thief. He relaxed only slightly when he realized who it was. "Catwoman, it's none of your business."

"Pfft. I watched you grow up. I know who your friends are – your _real_ friends – and I know how disappointed you were when you realized that the League was trying to pull one over on you."

" _Disappointed_? I was _angry_!"

"And you had a right to be. The League are a team of self-righteous prats. They don't trust you, so why should you trust them?" She sauntered up to him, arms crossed.

He hesitated, unsure where she was going with her talk. He'd always considered Catwoman to be the only reasonable adult in their company; though that didn't automatically imply that she'd side with him. He nodded weakly, "Right."

"But you're being a brat."

"What?"

She moved quickly and disarmed him, knocking him on his ass. "You don't trust the Justice League and I get that, but your teammates – Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash – _they_ trust you. You're supposed to have their backs; just like they have yours." She set her foot on his chest, keeping him down. "Don't let your pride – or your stubbornness – keep you out in the cold, alone."

"I can handle being out on my own."

"Pfft. Stubborn little arrow." She wagged her finger at him, "Don't stay stubborn for very long." She backed away and disappeared into the night.

* * *

"Recognize: Catwoman."

Wally's back went straight in surprise. "Hey, why don't you have a designation number?"

"Catwoman, what are you doing here?" Robin rushed to her side.

She sauntered out of the zeta tube and studied her surroundings. "You know me, I love to snoop in Batman's playgrounds." She raised her goggles and turned eyes on the Team. "Well, why don't you introduce me to your new friends."

"Catwoman, this is M'gann M'orzz and Superboy."

Selina studied the two new members. "And how do you like living in this mountain?"

Superboy grumbled, but nothing intelligible.

Miss Martian smiled, "It's better than Mars."

"Hmm," she hummed, non-committal. She stared down Superboy.

He became uncomfortable and demanded, "What?"

"You need a name. Superboy is fine and dandy as a code name/secret identity or whatever," she waved her hand in the air, "but you need a name."

His arms crossed, petulantly, "Well, that's the only name I have."

"Pick one."

"I don't care."

"Then I guess you'll be stuck with whatever I pick." She tapped her chin in thought. "Project K-r… Connor Kent."

"What?"

"Too late." She turned her attention to the Martian. "Miss Martian."

"Yes, Catwoman, ma'am," she stuttered nervously.

"I believe you have something burning in the oven." She walked off in the direction of the computers as M'gann ran off toward the kitchen. "And Wally, why would _I_ need a designation?"

"She can't be classified, remember?" Robin whispered to his friend.

Wally gaped at her in awe. "You are so cool."

"I prefer inscrutable." She turned and pointed a finger at Robin. "And don't start going on about 'scrutable'."

The boy wonder obediently closed his mouth.

Aqualad looked up at the monitors to see what she was doing. His eyebrow quirked up as she went about updating names on the system. His lip twitched at a few of the names. "Was there another reason for your visit?"

"None that you need to know about." She continued about her business. Her eyes narrowed when Superboy wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "Connor, I suggest you step back before you regret it."

He tightened his grip. "You shouldn't be here."

"Uh, Superboy," Wally said nervously.

It was too late. Catwoman turned on him and slapped him in the face to shock him, before wiping his feet out from under him. "You might be strong, but you have no control. Not yet." She smirked at his baffled expression. "You look surprised. I've been facing off against you super-powered freaks for years."

An angry frown took over his expression. "I'm not a freak."

"Are you sure? We're all freaks after all," she said matter-of-factly. "We must be if we're running around in costumes all the time." Leaning over him, she patted his cheek. "You stay down and consider that for a moment."

"So awesome." Wally's face flushed with admiration.

Robin smirked, "Are you sure you're not going to train us?"

"Pfft," Catwoman scoffed, turning her attention back to the monitors. "I doubt you'd appreciate having another adult tell you that you're not ready and not qualified."

"At least we know you wouldn't be lying to us or coddling us if you did. I know you'd be straight with us."

"Little bird, you know it's not going to work."

Kaldur glanced between them. "Perhaps, Catwoman, if you'd be willing, we could come to you for an unbiased opinion."

"Water boy, you never had to ask. My little bird is constantly asking for advice. Especially when it comes to his glorious bastard of a mentor." She finished keying in her commands into the monitor and turned to face them. "Him and girls."

Robin flushed. "There aren't any girls."

"Glorious bastard?" Wally repeated. "Aren't you and Batman dating?"

"Ours is a complicated relationship; and none of your business." Catwoman slapped him upside the head. "Kid, you need to learn to mind your own; and develop a filter. Most adults don't appreciate your verbal vomit."

"Most teenagers don't either," Robin smirked.

"Well, it was nice chatting. My business here is done." She waved jauntily. "Ta-ta for now."

"Wait," M'gann rushed in, "the cookies are done. You have to try some."

"Another time." She sauntered over to the zeta tube. She disappeared without a sound.

"Hold up," Kid Flash aimed a finger at the tube. "It didn't even acknowledge her. How did she do that?"

"Well, she isn't the world's greatest thief for nothing." Robin stepped up to the monitor to see if he could determine what she'd done. "Can't be very stealthy to have the computer announce your arrival and departure all the time."

Connor regained his feet. "Who the hell was she? Your mother?"

"He wishes," Wally smirked.

"She's Catwoman."

* * *

Batman closed the file on the Team's first mission.

"So?" Selina arrived and took a seat in his lap. "How did the little darlings do on their first mission? A simple power plant disturbance turns out to be an attack by an android within an android."

"Looks like you read the file. There's not much more to say." He remained unresponsive in his chair, being careful not to react to her enticing presence.

Smoothing her hands up his shoulders to link behind his neck, she purred. "There's so much more to say."

"They're…" he thought hard for the right description, "a work in progress."

"Hmm, aren't we all?"

"You're sure you won't help with they're training?"

"You've asked me how many times now? I don't know why you'd expect a different answer."

"Maybe because you made a visit to the cave this morning?"

She smiled. "Just investigating new opportunities."

"Like reconfiguring the zeta tube programming?"

"Perhaps."

"And connecting the cave monitors to your own computers?"

Her smile widened as she hummed her agreement.

"And what is this little bit of code for?"

She shook her head and said with a singsong tone, "I'll never tell."

He grunted and continued to study it.

Resting her cheek against his shoulder, she sighed, "Another all-nighter?"

"I'd be done a lot quicker if you'd just tell me what it was for."

"Where's the fun in that?" She settled in for the evening, pleased that he hadn't found her last surprise.


	4. Chapter 4 - 104 Drop Zone

104 Drop Zone

"A simple recon mission – observe and report." Batman paced in front of them, dressing them all down. "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes. Until then," he stopped in front of them, "good job. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success." He glanced briefly at Aqualad and Robin, "And how you choose who leads determines character."

After a few more words, he dismissed the Team and zeta'd out.

Dick arrived at the Batcave right after Bruce. "I screwed up."

"You adapted." He pulled off his cowl and cape; and began removing his armor.

"I shouldn't have just assumed that I would be the leader. I'm the youngest; they weren't going to follow me." He removed his mask and cape, putting them away.

"Aqualad said it best – you are unprepared to take on the role of leader. Just like we trained to be partners, you need to train to be a team." He stepped into the changing room to trade his batsuit for his workout pants.

"So you're not disappointed?"

"No, Dick. You're a little rough around the edges, but you did a good job." Bruce headed to the computer and keyed in a few commands before shutting down for the evening. "Get changed and come up. Alfred saved dinner for us."

"Thanks, Bruce."


	5. Chapter 5 - 105 Schooled

105 Schooled

"Look, I know he troubles you, but he's here. You have to get over the how and why." Bruce studied his friend. "Trust me on this. The boy needs his father."

"I'm not his father." Clark shoved to his feet and turned to the wait staff at the diner. "I'll take that pie to go."

Clark arrived back at the office only to find Selina waiting at his desk. "You shouldn't be here."

"Pfft. Like I don't hear that all the time." She idly spun circles in his chair, waiting for him to sit.

"Selina, there's nothing you can say that I haven't already heard from Bruce." He sighed, dropping his takeout on his desk before sitting down in his guest chair.

"Are you sure about that?"

"The boy-"

"Connor Kent." She dragged her fingertip along the top of the desk as she continued to spin. "He couldn't very well survive without a proper name." She stopped mid-spin to stare him straight in the eye. "He's not you."

"He's my clone," he whispered in argument.

"Yes, but that doesn't make him you. Right now, he's a scared kid with super powers. You remember what that was like, don't you?"

Clark opened his mouth to deny it, but he stopped. He remembered very well what it was like. His parents didn't have the answers, so all they could do was the best they could. It was a struggle, but they'd managed. "Bruce and Red are more than capable of helping him."

"True, but they won't have the same perspective that you do." She began to spin around again. "You don't have to be his father; but you should be his friend." When she felt like her point had been made, she stood. "Don't be a coward, Clark. Superman is not a coward."

* * *

When the mission was over and Amazo parts were delivered to the separate Star Labs' locations, Connor caught Robin before he left. "Do you think I could go with you?"

He grinned. "You want to speak with Catwoman, don't you?"

"Do you think it would help?" Connor would have spoken to Canary, but he wasn't sure he could trust her. She spoke a lot of platitudes, but none of it sounded extremely sincere. He'd gone along with her training, but fighting techniques were not the same as _family_ issues.

"Won't know until you try." Robin programmed the zeta tube for their destination. He signaled Catwoman to join them. "Come on. We'll meet her in Gotham. I know a good place for burgers."

Connor studied his uniform. "You're not going to stand out?"

"My civvies are on the other side. You?"

He looked down at his black t-shirt with Superman insignia. "I don't really have anything else." Pulling on his shirt, he flipped it inside out before putting it back on. "Will this do?"

"Good enough. I warn you, Catwoman will probably drag you out shopping when she sees you in that."

* * *

Selina sipped her latte as the boys finished swallowing their burgers and fries. "Little bird, why don't you head home and leave us to our business?"

"Really?" Dick said in surprise.

"Batman wouldn't appreciate you spilling your secrets just yet." She tapped the sunglasses he insisted on wearing, even indoors.

"Fine," he relented. "Catch you later, SB."

Selina exchanged cheek kisses with him and sent him on his way. Turning her attention to Connor, she said, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Is it safe to talk here?" Connor glanced around at the rest of the restaurant goers.

"Safe enough. You need to practice having conversations in public anyway. I'm assuming this is about Big Blue?" She ran her fingertip around the rim of her glass. "The stubborn fool is freaked out that you even exist. A natural enough reaction, but he needs to step up. I told him so."

His eyes widened. "You told… uh, Big Blue… that?"

"We go back a long way," she shrugged. "Blue knows what I say is for his own good."

His eyebrow quirked up. "Does it work the other way around?"

"Pfft. Like cats listen to anyone."

Fiddling with his glass, he asked, "What did he say?"

"Stunned silence. You have to understand, he might be the most powerful man alive, but he is still a man. He's not perfect."

"So you're saying I shouldn't take it personally."

"No, why would you?" She rolled her eyes. "Look up to him all you want, but he's not perfect. If he were, I'd find him extremely irritating… and boring. It's so much more fun when he does douche-baggery stuff like this. Makes him human. Something, by the way, he strives for – being human."

Connor thought on that for a bit. He'd always looked up to Superman as if he were perfect; that he was who he wanted to be. But he wasn't perfect. Far from it, in fact. He was just another guy with superpowers.

"You're finally realizing it." She sipped her latte. "Not bad for a kid five months old."

"So I shouldn't be angry with him?"

She smiled slyly. "Well, I didn't say that."

"I don't understand."

"You're allowed to be angry. What you shouldn't do is let your anger control you. Accept it, acknowledge the reason behind it and then deal."

"How do I do that?"

"Let it go or channel it." She tilted her head to study him. " _You_ will probably need to channel it. Dinah will show you how."

"Who?" he frowned in confusion.

"Right, secret identities and all that. Oops." Selina grinned at him, "Recognize: B-C 1-3"

"Oh."

"Exactly. Oh." She patted his hand. "And if the training doesn't work, you can try meditation, tai chi, yoga. Maybe M'gann will help. You two are sweet on each other."

His face flushed. "No!" he denied. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't?" Tapping her fingers idly on the back of his hand, she shrugged, "If you say so."

His arms crossed as he grumbled to himself.

"Don't be so grumpy. I'm just teasing. It's what mothers do."

His eyes eagerly caught hers. "Mothers?"

She realized her slip as soon as the words left her lips. Sighing, she admitted, "Fine, you caught me. Your little team has invoked some minor maternal feelings in me. You're all such helpless little birds."

"Little birds? Isn't that what you call Robin all the time? Are you his mother?"

She shook her head, glancing down at her glass before looking back at him. "He probably won't appreciate me telling you, but his parents were killed when he was young. Batman took him in and trained him."

"So Batman is his dad and Catwoman is his mom."

"I'm not his mother. I'm too young to be his mother," she said huffily.

Connor offered his own observation. "You might not be his biological mother, but he seems to think of you as his mother."

"That's sweet, but that's probably because I'm the only woman in his life."

"You care about him though. We all noticed it."

"I admit I have a soft spot for the little bird. He treats himself too seriously most of the time. Needs to learn to be a kid." Her green eyes turned on him. "Something you need to learn as well." Her eyes shifted down his outfit. "Which reminds me. You need more clothes. I know your t-shirt is quite trendy now given the popularity of the League, but you'll want to at least attempt to keep a secret identity." Setting down a few bills to cover the tab, she stood. "Come along. I'm taking you shopping."

* * *

Selina returned to the manor carrying arm loads of shopping bags. She wasn't surprised to find both Alfred and Dick standing in the foyer to greet her.

"Miss. Selina, may I assist with your bags." Alfred approached to claim some of her purchases.

"Thank you, Alfred."

Dick joined them. "So, how'd it go?"

"Wonderful. Connor and I found some fabulous sales. I picked up a few things for you as well."

"I meant, is Connor okay?"

"He'll be fine. Just needed someone to talk to. It should be Big Blue, but he's being a big bozo." She headed up the stairs with Dick following behind her.

"Did you knock some sense into Superman?" he said eagerly.

"That remains to be seen." Selina reached her room and began putting away her things. "In the meantime, please keep an eye on Connor."

"Because of his anger issues?"

"He's too isolated. He needs to learn he's more than just a clone of Superman."

"Hey, we're friends."

Her eyebrow lifted. "Do you see him outside of missions? Spend time with him doing stuff other than training?"

His head dropped. "Point."

"You, Wally, Roy and Kaldur have history. You need to remember that Connor and M'gann are new to the Team and want to find their place too." She stopped in front of him and brushed her hand through his unruly hair. "You might not notice it, but they might feel a little left out at times."

"Promise. I'll work on it."

"Good. Now go wash up. It'll be dinner soon. You can tell me all about Amazo and don't forget to have Bruce restock your birdarangs."

* * *

"So?" Bruce wasn't surprised to see Selina reviewing the debrief from the Team's latest mission.

"Hmm?"

"What's your assessment?" He grabbed another chair and pulled it up beside his usual seat. "How do you think the Team did?"

"Well enough." She spun her seat to face him, eyes slightly amused. "What I'd like to know, is how did the great detective Batman miss the fact that Amazo's parts were emitting a GPS tracking signal?"

"Oversight." He frowned at his own mistake.

"So it wasn't some elaborate mission for the Team?"

"No. It was supposed to be a straight transport mission. Robin and Superboy handled the situation adequately."

"Our little bird is sometimes too smart for his own good." Selina chuckled out loud this time. "You realize that the Team took minutes to neutralize Amazo, while it took the League hours." She trailed her finger up his arm. "Perhaps the League should study the Team's strategies. You might learn something."

"Don't think I haven't noticed. The League's members are too powerful. We work together, but we still rely on our own strengths as individuals instead of relying on our strengths as a team." He folded his fingers together and studied the monitor. "This will be discussed during our next meeting."

"I'm sure the League will take it well," she smirked, amused at the image of Superman and Wonder Woman being told teenagers had better strategy than they did. "You should be proud. Your team is developing well together."

"Not my team."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Kaldur's team is developing well." She lowered her eyes though. "Dick's really okay about not being the Team leader?"

Bruce took her hand, reassuringly. "He's fine. You said it yourself. Dick's smart. He knows that he's not the best person for the Team… not yet. He's young. He'll train and when he's ready, he'll be the leader."

"Are you sure you want him to lead?" Selina had reservations that Dick had the right personality to be a leader. Dick cared too much about everyone. She wasn't sure he would cope well if he lost people under his watch – especially if he was the one responsible for sacrificing someone for the greater good.

Bruce didn't say it, but he had similar reservations. "He will do whatever will make him happy. I don't want or need him to lead the Team."

"Does he know that?" She stood, patting his shoulder. "Use your words, Bruce. You can't always expect people to read your mind."

"You seem to."

"Just because I have a talent for understanding your non-verbal grunting and frowning, doesn't mean everyone can." She headed up the stairs back to the manor. "And even I like to hear the words sometimes. Don't stay up to late."

* * *

It was late into the evening when she felt Bruce climb into bed with her. "Finished brooding?" She turned into him, cuddling against his side.

He grunted, dropping a kiss on her head. "Sleep. I love you."

She purred her delight. "Love you too, bats."


	6. Chapter 6 - 106 Infiltrator

106 Infiltrator

Selina looked up from her computer monitor when she heard Dick enter her office. "Little bird, you've had an eventful day. How do you like your new team mate?"

"Artemis? She's okay. I'm not sure why Ollie is lying about the fact she's his niece though. Like I care that she's the daughter of two criminals." He bounced on his feet and completed a flip to land up on top of her bookshelves. Lounging down in his spot near the ceiling, he continued, "Aren't secrets just going to cause problems in the future?"

"Likely." She shrugged, "You're not free with your secret identity, why does she have to be?"

"Point. But I haven't lied about who I am either."

"No," she said slowly, "but Artemis is in a different situation. Her entire family is working for the other side."

"So, she probably thinks we would assume she's a criminal too." He leaned his head back against the wall. "But she saved us when we were fighting Amazo and didn't take credit for it; and she held her own against Cheshire."

"Well, Cheshire is her sister."

"Really?"

"Tsk-tsk, little bird, your research is lacking. Remember what I taught you-"

"Research is my friend," he mimicked. He pulled up his virtual keyboard and began keying in the remaining search parameters. "Sportsmaster, Huntress and Cheshire. Interesting family."

"No more so than your own."

"It's kind of cool that she's going all white hat." He continued keying in search words. "I wonder how she escaped recruitment by the League of Shadows. She's skilled enough to draw Ra's' attention."

"Huntress – Paula gave up the life as soon as she was released from prison. She managed to keep her youngest daughter out of it. And Bruce and Ollie were willing to help. That's why she's part of the Team." She stood, drawing his attention to her. "Now, come along. We're going to help Alfred with dinner."

He leapt down, landing lightly beside her. "Is Bruce joining us?"

"Doubtful. He's cleaning up the mess that you made at WayneTech." She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "By the way, keep your cool when you see Artemis at Gotham Academy. Remember, you don't know her outside of the Team."


	7. Chapter 7 - 107 Denial

107 Denial

Connor looked up in surprised when he spotted Catwoman at Mount Justice. "Hey, I thought Batman and Robin were in Gotham. What are you doing here?"

"Superboy, you know I like to prowl. Since the boys are busy, I thought I'd take the opportunity to snoop." Her goggles were lowered and running scans as she toured the base. "How have you been?"

He shrugged. "Can't complain."

"You sure?"

"Training is helping. I'm not as angry as I could be. And I'm getting used to staying at the base."

"Making friends? Learning to be more than that shield?" She tapped the red emblem on his chest.

"Yeah." He scratched his ear. "I've been exploring the town a bit; caught a few movies."

"Good. Have you started preparing for school?"

"School?"

Her eyebrow raised. "No one warned you?" She scoffed, "Of course they didn't. You've been enrolled in school at Happy Harbor. You start in September."

"Why? The genomorphs programmed everything into my brain."

"Call it a social experiment. You'll learn how to interact with the human race so you don't have to stay in this cave all the time."

"I like the cave."

"You want a life, don't you? Everyone in the League – well, other than Red Tornado – has a life outside of the mission. It helps keep you grounded; reminds you why you do what you do."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Not so much." She patted his arm. "Now, tell me where M'gann is. I think it's time for some girl talk."

* * *

Miss Martian sat stiffly, worried that she'd done something wrong. "Miss Catwoman, did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know, did you?" She continued to study the Martian in front of her.

"Not that I can think of." Her hands wrung nervously.

"Relax, M'gann. I just thought that you'd like to have a female to speak with; being surrounded by boys and robots like you are."

"Really?" she said excitedly. "There's so much I want to know."

"Now's your chance." Selina listened patiently for the next hour while M'gann asked her an interesting variety of questions.

"Thank you so much for your time, Miss Catwoman." M'gann leapt at her and hugged her tightly.

"Selina. Just call me, Selina." She patted the girl on the back. "Now, since I've answered all your questions; would you do me a favor and answer mine?"

"Of course, anything."

Selina made sure M'gann was looking her in the eye. "Are you ever going to reveal to the Team your true appearance?"

"Wh-what?" she stuttered.

She took her hand. "I know the discrimination that exists on Mars against white Martians. That doesn't exist here."

Miss Martian looked at her in fear. "How did you know?"

"Easy enough to figure out. Manhunter has dozens of daughters and nieces on Mars. There must have been something unique about you to bring you to Earth." She cupped the girl's face. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. No one will judge you here. Especially not your teammates."

"You don't understand-"

"I don't have to. I just know that that kind of prejudice and discrimination doesn't exist on Earth. The Team won't think less of you for being a white Martian."

* * *

Catwoman was catching up with Wally when she felt the psychic intrusion. "Tsk-tsk, M'gann. It's not nice to invade someone's mind without permission."

Wally turned to his teammate. "M'gann, why would you do that?"

Miss Martian looked down, contrite.

"No hard feelings, darling. Now you know that I have defenses against your powers. Don't try again." She waved her hand at Wally, "Relax, Kid. It's a girl thing." She saw the signal on her goggles and made her escape. "Oops, time for me to go. Have a blast with your next mission." She sauntered to the zeta tube. "Ta-ta for now."

Connor glanced at M'gann. "What was that about?"

"She… she said some things that I didn't want to hear," M'gann admitted. "I… overreacted."

"Well, if Catwoman is not offended, neither shall we be," Kaldur announced.

There was no further discussion since Red Tornado arrived at the cave and they were sent on a mission to look in on Kent Nelson, also known as Dr. Fate.

* * *

"I can't believe I missed Dr. Fate," Dick complained as he hung up his Robin gear in the Batcave.

"I don't see why you would care. The Lord of Order is so dreadfully dull." Selina was in the equipment room sharpening her claws.

"Well, at least the helmet is in Wally's souvenir room." He stopped beside her. "By the way, what were you doing in the cave today? Wally and Kaldur both mentioned that you stopped by."

"Just some girl talk with M'gann; checked in with Connor… you know, catching up with the little birdies."

"I know you enjoy your feline right to do whatever you want, whenever you want, but that doesn't mean you don't have ulterior motives."

"I _always_ have ulterior motives, little bird." She tapped his nose with her newly sharpened claw. "You should know that by now."

"What were they this time?" Bruce stood in the doorway.

"Scanning the cave, looking for weak spots." She tapped her goggles, which were laid out on the table beside her.

"What else were you scanning?"

A wide smile stretched across her face as she preened in delight. "You always know when I'm hiding something."

"I doubt that."

"Well, you're not wrong this time. I was testing a new scanner on Superboy."

Dick looked at her in confusion. "What about SB?"

"He's not fully Kryptonian. They used human DNA too."

Bruce was not surprised. "It explains why Superboy's powers aren't on par with Superman's."

"Pretty sure they had to mix the DNA, because they couldn't keep Kryptonian DNA stable on its own." She connected her goggles to the Batcomputer and uploaded the data. "See for yourself."

"You turned your goggles into a portable DNA scanner?" Dick said in disbelief. "That's so cool."

"Well, if Superman can do it, why can't I?" Removing her claws and putting them away for the night. She waved goodnight and left her boys to pour over the scan data that she shared with them. A sly smile spread across her lips. She managed to keep the scans of M'gann away from them.

Settling back in her office, she emailed the info to Connor so that he'd know more about himself. Knowing now that he was created with Luthor DNA, she began to wonder if Lex programmed Connor to do his bidding. She knew where her next prowl would take her.


	8. Chapter 8 - 108 Downtime

108 Downtime

After a disastrous training session, Batman came to the Team's rescue. Once the program ended, he said grimly, "I need to talk to Aqualad. The rest of you, hit the showers and head home."

Grumpy, Connor said, "Head home? I _am_ home."

Robin stopped beside Aqualad, wanting to back his leader.

Batman looked down at him. "Just Aqualad."

Glancing at Aqualad, Robin's shoulders dropped before he headed directly to the zeta tubes. He glanced at Superboy. "Want to come with?"

"Sure."

They both zeta'd to the Batcave to use the showers and then hit the training room.

"Little bird, you're back early." Selina leaned in the doorway. "And it looks like you brought a friend. Does Batman know?"

"He's talking to Aqualad," Dick said glumly. "He won't even notice."

"Robin," she scolded softly, "how many times will it take for you to get it through your thick skull? Don't take it personally."

He ducked his head. "I can't help it. It's like he doesn't have time for me anymore."

She ruffled his hair. "Little bird, you know he'd make time for you if he could."

"I know. Learn to share."

Wrapping her arms around him in a hug, she kissed his cheek. "You're growing up, little bird. Batman knows it. Unfortunately, he spreads himself too thin. Today, the Team needs him. Aqualad needs him."

"What? Why?"

Connor was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "He's been distracted. You must have noticed."

"Well, yeah, I know. He's been thinking about Tula." Robin, back in better spirits, completed a couple back flips and then grabbed the gymnast rings, swinging himself into a handstand. "I knew he was distracted, but I figured we could cover for him."

Selina whipped a dodge ball at him, unbalancing him so that he'd fall and land on his ass. "Bad, birdie!" She scowled at him. "You know better than to go into battle with someone who's distracted."

"It was a training exercise." He rubbed his arm where the ball had hit. "I figured we'd take the simulated whomping. I would have said something if we were headed into the field."

"Tch," Connor scoffed. "You're lucky I don't come over there and whomp you myself."

"You could try." Robin grinned.

"Don't break anything," Selina remarked even as the boys began to spar. She left them to their fun.

"Miss. Selina, should I prepare a small snack for our guest?" Alfred inquired.

"Make it a big snack. I'll be speaking to Bruce when he returns. If you see him before I do, please send him my way."

* * *

"Alfred said you wanted to speak to me." Bruce found Selina in her office.

"You need to spend more time with Dick," she said simply. "He looks up to you and he misses his father."

He sat down in front of her. "The League, the Team, Gotham… they're all taking up too much of my time."

She came around her desk and climbed into his lap. "You're spreading yourself too thin." Her hand massaged the back of his neck. "I hardly see you anymore either." She kissed him softly. "I miss you too."

He cupped her cheek, returning her embrace. "Maybe we all need some down time."

"We all need to remember what our priorities are. Even I find that my time isn't quite my own anymore."

"Care to share what _has_ been taking up your time?"

"Hmm, nice try."

"Not even a hint?"

"Now there's proof you've been too busy. You haven't even been keeping up with my prowling."

"Well?" He waited for her to disclose something about her secrets.

"I'll never tell." She kissed him again before patting his shoulder. "Go spend time with the little bird before he and Connor destroy your training room."

"Connor is here?"

"Just put on some shades. Or just tell him the truth."

He grunted. "I'll grab some sunglasses."


	9. Chapter 9 - 109 Bereft

109 Bereft

Selina eyed the giant sphere that Connor had brought back from Bialya. "What is it?"

"Alien tech," Robin shrugged, "some kind of artificial intelligence."

"And she's bonded with Connor."

"She?" Connor said in surprise.

She shrugged. "She feels like a 'she'."

The sphere flashed and beeped as if to concur.

"See." Catwoman pet the metal sphere. "Thank you for taking care of the little birdies. They do on occasion find themselves in difficult situations."

"Hey, we managed," Robin argued.

"Mark my words, boys. M'gann's psychic powers are much stronger than anyone realizes. If she doesn't get them under control, there will be consequences."

Connor defended her, "The memory wipe was an accident."

"Of course," Catwoman agreed, "but accidents are likely to happen again. And next time, it might be even worse than just a few lost memories." Her green eyes turned on the Martian who was eavesdropping. "Train, M'gann. Gain control of your powers before they gain control of you."

"How did you-" Robin looked from Catwoman to the spot where M'gann was floating in the air, camouflaged.

"And stop trying to read my mind." Catwoman swung out her whip, lashing it around M'gann's ankle and dragging her back to the ground. "You're here to learn, but the League forgets that you have non-physical abilities. Speak to your uncle; convince one of the boys to let you dig around in their brains; do something before you lose control and your subconscious takes over." She patted Connor's arm. "I'm sure he'd be a willing subject. After all, you've already mind-melded."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Connor shrugged. "I've got nothing to hide. I've spent most of my life here anyway."

"When you're ready, clean this programming from his mind." Catwoman handed Miss Martian a slip of paper.

"'Red sun'?" M'gann looked up. "What does that mean?" Her eyes widened when she saw Connor standing frozen and blank in front of her.

"Holy, Superman," Robin exclaimed, waving his hand in front of SB's face. "He's been programmed?"

"Apparently. Cadmus didn't have time to program anything else." Catwoman circled the clone. "He'll be fine once that programming is removed." She threw M'gann a glance. "You've got your work cut out for you." Winding her whip back around her waist, she sauntered out. "It was nice meeting you, Sphere. If you want, I can think of a new name for you. I seem to have a knack for naming people."

Once Catwoman was gone, Connor's eyes blinked. Glancing around, he frowned, "Where'd Selina go?" His head whipped around, seeing that everyone had shifted. "What happened?"


	10. Chapter 10 - 110 Targets

110 Targets

Alfred turned off the news report. "Rhelasia peace summit. Do you believe it will be successful?"

"With Luthor there, it likely will." Selina sipped her morning tea. "He's got a vested interest in ensuring all goes well." Setting her cup down, she remarked, "I'm more interested in how Connor and M'gann survive their first day of school."

Bruce looked over his newspaper. "World peace versus high school drama? Of course we know which is more newsworthy."

"Pfft, like any of us care how North and South Rhelasia end up signing their peace treaty. That attack by Cheshire was staged."

"Red Arrow stopped her," Dick argued.

She rolled her eyes. "Luthor's chauffeur, the leggy blond, she's got a robotic arm – missile launcher. She would have stopped the attack if Roy hadn't." She turned her head to Dick. "Have you spoken much with Roy lately? I haven't heard from him in a few months."

"Not since the fog incident."

"I saw he reached out to Kaldur before he faced off against Cheshire."

Bruce lowered his paper. "Should I be surprised to find you in Taipei?"

"You should never be surprised to find me anywhere."

He locked eyes with her, fighting a silent battle. "Were you ever going to tell me about Connor's Cadmus programming?"

"Were you ever going to tell me that you were preparing a mission to have Connor and M'gann go undercover at Belle Reve?" Selina shook her head. "There's no point. The five ice villains have hatched some idiotic plan to break everyone out – freeze and smash. The prison psychiatrist – Strange – is in on it." At their baffled looks, she shrugged, "I keep in touch with Eddie. He likes to brag."

"You keep in touch with the Riddler?" Dick asked in disbelief.

"He's harmless. He gets wrapped up in his riddles and blunders most of his crime sprees."

"I didn't realize you were friendly," Bruce remarked.

Her green eyes flashed. "I _am_ Catwoman."

"I assumed they would take issue when you assisted the League."

"Which time?" Dick glanced between his three guardians.

She smirked. "They assume that I help to keep Batman guessing; and I always have an angle."

"And your relationship with me?"

Dick laughed, "Even I can guess that one."

* * *

Aqualad returned to Happy Harbor after the confrontation with Cheshire and Sportsmaster in Taipei. He was concerned about Sportsmaster's disclosure about a mole in the Team. He needed advice.

Catwoman joined him in the cave kitchen. "Do you believe him?"

"Every word that comes from him is suspect, but I cannot ignore his warning."

"And you shouldn't. Some of the best tricks of the trade are to have no tricks at all."

"Should I warn Batman?"

"Unnecessary. If you do, it will question your ability to lead."

"And if I do not, I risk a traitor in our midst."

"No. Not sure if you've noticed, but Batman isn't the most trusting of people. If there's a mole, he'll spot it."

"But he would scrutinize everything much more closely if he knew to look for one."

"And ruin what little time he has to relax and recuperate?" She jabbed him in the chest. "The Team is your responsibility. If there is a mole, you need to find them."

He nodded. "I must investigate without… tipping my hand."

"And I'll help." She crossed her arms and said resolutely, "I can tell you now though, there is no mole."

"I agree."

Her eyes flashed with an idea. "No mole in the Team, but that doesn't mean there isn't one outside the Team." She flexed her fingers. "You said Red Arrow is the only other who knows?"

"He overheard during the confrontation."

"Hmm." Her mind worked through the scenarios. "Let me think about this and get back to you. Tell no one. Be safe, Kaldur."

"Thank you for your assistance."


	11. Chapter 11 - 112 Home Front

112 Home Front

Red Tornado zeta'd away for monitor duty, leaving the Team without their den mother.

Catwoman almost immediately stepped out of the adjacent tube. "I saw Red's name on the roll. If you need me, I'll be around."

Kaldur watched her walk off and decided to join the others in the hangar. It wasn't long before they were overwhelmed by an explosion. They were subdued quickly by blasts of water and then caged by flames and rock.

M'gann was unconscious and couldn't be relied upon to reach out to Catwoman. Kaldur could only hope that she would realize what happened and send for help.

* * *

"Attention, Robin. Attention, Artemis. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished."

Catwoman's back went stiff when she heard the announcement. Patched into Mount Justice computers, she tried to access surveillance, but saw that Robin had disabled most of it to cover their tracks. Tapping her own private comm, she whispered softly, "Bats, it would be a good idea for you to visit Mount Justice with some of your super friends. The Team is being held hostage."

"Status?"

"Less than ten minutes before whoever it is starts killing the little darlings. I don't have eyes on them, but at least Robin and Artemis are roaming free… for now. I'll try to buy you some time."

"The zeta tubes are down. We'll get there as soon as we can."

She sighed. "Wish me luck." She disconnected the communication and signaled Robin. "Little bird, how are you and Artemis fairing?"

"Catwoman? How did you get the signal through? Never mind, we're managing. Can you get a message to the League?"

"They're on their way, but with the zeta tubes down, it will take a while."

"Two of Red's siblings are after us. M'gann and Kaldur are trapped in a cage of flames; and SB and KF are trapped in rock. All in the hangar."

"Red's siblings? EMP, darling. Can Kid help you with that?"

"Genius! I'll get KF online."

"Be careful, little bird." Catwoman had downloaded the cave schematics and was positioning herself through her goggles. "Hangar," she muttered to herself. Grabbing some gear, she climbed into the ventilation shafts and maneuvered her way to the hangar. Examining everyone's position, she dove silently into the water and swam up beside Kid Flash and Superboy. She held a finger to her lips to shush them, wrapping a re-breather around both their necks in case they needed them.

Once they were as safe as they were going to be, Catwoman went about the other challenge of trying to help Kaldur and M'gann. Sinking deep in the water, she waited there and watched as Artemis and Robin made their move to distract the Reds in order to land a birdarang beside KF. Communication in place, the pair escaped into the water and went for cover again.

Catwoman watched the time ticking by on her goggles. Six minutes.

With one of the Reds after the pair, she resurfaced long enough to trigger the sprinkler system in the cave. Enough water poured out to douse the flames – even just a little to decrease the heat. She looked around and wondered whether she could dislodge Sphere from the wall. Swimming to her side, she did the next best thing.

Whip in hand, she resurfaced again and lashed out to wrap it around the flame-bots legs. Pulling hard and with the help of Sphere, she managed to drag the Red into the water. Unfortunately, the water elemental returned and lifted her out of the water. Slamming into the ground on the platform, she rolled to her feet. With a bracing breath, she let momentum carry her through the fire and grabbed M'gann. Protecting her as best she could, she rushed them through the flames of the other side of the cage. Placing a re-breather in the Martian's mouth, she rolled the unconscious girl over the platform and into the water.

Regaining her footing, Catwoman tossed the spare set of water-bearers to Kaldur, before she was slammed into the ground again by the water elemental.

Water-bearers in hand, Kaldur called up the water and doused his cage. Weak still, he fought against the Reds, distracting them long enough so that Robin could setup the EMP.

"The circuit's not complete. I need something conductive – a piece of metal." He reached to his belt for a birdarang, but he was out.

Artemis had stopped to check on Catwoman. Seeing a quiver of arrows strapped to the feline's back, she grabbed one. Aiming, she let loose.

The arrow closed the circuit and the EMP rippled through the cave.

The Reds dropped to the ground.

Robin yelled down to the archer. "Way to get traught!"

"Kaldur, how's M'gann?" Superboy shouted.

Kaldur had hopped down to where M'gann had landed once the water receded from the cave. "Breathing. Catwoman got her out in time."

"Catwoman?" Artemis said softly.

Her leather suit was singed, but it had protected her from the fire. Her goggles were cracked and she was unconscious.

Robin landed beside them. Gently, he lifted her goggles and cowl off. "Selina?"

The League burst into the cave then. Quickly assessing the situation, Batman ordered, "Dismantle the Reds."

Superman and Wonder Woman quickly pulled them apart.

Flash and Captain Atom went to work freeing Kid Flash and Superboy.

Manhunter and Aquaman joined Kaldur and M'gann to check on them.

Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary were up on the platform.

"You're alright?" Batman glanced briefly at Robin and Artemis before crouching down beside Catwoman.

"Well enough, considering we almost drowned a dozen times," Artemis commented.

Robin looked up at Batman. "She got slammed pretty badly. Running through a wall of flames didn't help either."

"Her suit's mostly fireproof. Pulse is steady. Pupils are not reacting."

Superman flew over and x-rayed her. "She's got a hairline fracture at the back of her skull."

"Any bleeding in her brain?"

"No."

Batman silently released his breath.

"I've called in Dr. Midnite," Black Canary advised. "He can check everyone out."

"Selina?" Robin asked softly when she released a groan.

"There's a reason why cats don't like water," she muttered, as she struggled to sit up.

Batman staid her movements with a hand on her shoulder. "Lie still. You managed to crack your skull."

"Are the little darlings alright?"

"Yes, everyone's fine. You took the most damage."

"Lovely. Do I have any new scars to look forward too?"

"Just some colorful bruising."

She took stock of her injuries. "At least the suit protected me from the fire."

"Your goggles are damaged though." Robin held up a cracked red lens.

She pouted. "And those were new."

"I'll make you a new pair," Batman promised.

She managed a small shake of her head before wincing. "First, clean up. The cave has seen better days."

* * *

Once he'd been cleared to move her, Batman carried Selina all the way back to their room at the manor. He carefully removed her suit, dropping his own too, so that they could shower.

Clean, he pulled one of his button up shirts on her and then gently laid her in bed. "Rest," he ordered.

"Hmm," she mumbled. "You're not letting me out of this bed, are you?"

"Not until Clark says your skull is healed."

"Pfft. Who's going to stop me?"

"Alfred."

"Fine. But I'll need entertainment."


	12. Chapter 12 - 113 Alpha Male

113 Alpha Male

Selina rolled her eyes when she was settled into a sickbed at Mount Justice. "This was not what I meant by entertainment."

Batman smirked. "The Team needs a den mother while Red Tornado is questioned and diagnosed."

"But Billy volunteered," she argued, even as she shifted until she found the best spot.

" _Captain Marvel_ is going to join the Team on their mission, but when they are here in the cave, you are in charge." He handed her the controls to the Mount Justice systems.

She could see the ulterior motives roiling around in his brain. "Fine, send the little darlings my way."

He grunted and went to speak with Kaldur. His eyes drifted toward Selina as he listened to Kaldur's suspicions about a mole in the Team. He caught her shaking her head and a warning tilt toward Connor who was using his super hearing to listen in on the conversation. Batman stopped the confrontation before it escalated and sent them on their way to investigate an attack made by Gorilla-Gorilla. He rejoined Selina and stated, "You knew."

"The source was suspect, so I advised Kaldur to investigate on his own."

"Your thoughts?"

"If there is a mole, it's not the Team and it's not Red." She shrugged her shoulders. "I doubt Red's family has anything to do with this mole. They could have easily killed the Team, but instead they held them captive. I think they were waiting for Red to show up."

"I agree. T.O. Morrow was likely behind the attack."

"Red's going to go looking for his creator, isn't he?"

"Yes, but not alone."

* * *

Selina looked up when the Team arrived back at the cave. Seeing that they were all acting friendly again, she commented dryly, "I see that the bout of childish petulance worked its way out of all of your systems." She frowned when the massive white wolf padded its way over to her. "And I see Connor adopted another pet."

"Are you psychic?" Wally sped over to her side. "Because I'd believe it if you were."

"I just know people."

"It wasn't 'childish petulance'," Artemis crossed her arms defensively.

Selina raised an eyebrow and stared her down. It was difficult to maintain her cold gaze with a wolf nudging at her, but she managed.

"Okay, maybe a little." Her arms dropped in defeat.

"Luckily you are all children, so you're allowed. Otherwise, I would've smacked you all down."

Robin stepped forward first. "We should have trusted Kaldur's judgment."

"And mine." She gave up trying to shove the wolf away and began to pet him. "Kaldur came to me for advice and I gave it to him."

"Do you really think there's a mole?" Connor asked. His fists were clenched tight, worried that it might be him. M'gann cleared the Cadmus programming from his mind, but that didn't mean there wasn't more.

"Darling, even if I thought there was, I would never tell you." She clapped her hands. "Now, go clean up. It's getting late and you all still have school tomorrow."

The Team knew well enough when they were being dismissed, so they all headed for the showers. Only Artemis lingered.

"Yes, little archer?" Selina asked.

"How do you do it?" She rubbed her arm, trying to find her words, "How do you handle being an ex-con while in the League?"

"For one thing, I'm not in the League. For another, I could care less what others say about me. Trust me? Don't trust me?" she shrugged, "It's up to them to decide."

"But… doesn't it bother you that they might look down at you?"

"Pfft, if they didn't look down at me for being an ex-con, they'd look down at me for being _simply_ human… or some other asinine reason. People like that can take their self-righteous, overbearing attitudes and shove it." Selina huffed at the wolf, "I'm a cat person. You're a dog. Go play with your super buddy."

"You're an easy person to become attached to."

"I'm glad you said that, because I wouldn't want you to take this tongue-lashing personally." Selina reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her close. "If you ever freak out like that on a mission again, you'll wish that water elemental drowned you." She had been waiting for an opportunity to scold the girl for losing her calm during the Reds' attack.

"I-I-I," she stuttered, "I'm sorry." She lowered her head in shame.

"If you can't keep yourself together, you'll be endangering yourself and your teammates. As Robin said, stay traught or die."


	13. Chapter 13 - 114 Revelation

114 Revelation

"Oh, Pammy," Selina answered her phone with a sigh of pity, "why would you get involved with Joker and the ridiculously named, _Injustice League_?"

"Not much else to do lately. Besides, they said they'd help my baby blossom and grow."

"And now you're locked up in Arkham again."

"At least I have Harley to keep me company. Do you think you could water my plants until I get out?"

"Not a chance, Pammy."


	14. Chapter 14 - 115 Humanity

115 Humanity

"Another older woman, Dick?" Selina smirked.

"Zatanna? Harmless flirting," he blushed. "Besides, I'm only thirteen. Nothing's going to come of it."

"Hmm, don't let Barbra hear you say that."


	15. Chapter 15 - 116 Failsafe

116 Failsafe

"You lost control of the situation, didn't you?" Catwoman demanded. She stopped beside Batman. "I warned her to work on her telepathic abilities."

"We need to wake M'gann up." Batman said grimly.

"You underestimated her abilities. Hook me in," she demanded, taking the bed that Artemis had vacated.

"I really think that J'onn should do it."

"Send me in. She'll listen to me." When next her eyes opened, she was standing inside an exploding alien ship.

"Catwoman?" M'gann said in surprise. "How are you here?"

"This isn't real!" Selina slapped her across the face. "Wake up, M'gann!"

The world blew up around them, shocking everyone remaining out of the exercise.

M'gann sat up in shock as everything came back to her. She burst into tears.

Selina wrapped her arms around her, consoling her. "It wasn't your fault, M'gann."

"But, you warned me. I've been training, but it wasn't enough." She sobbed into Selina's neck. "I'm so sorry."

"Darling, you did your best," she whispered softly. "Seeing someone you love die would shock anyone."

M'gann glanced over at Superboy and cried even harder.

Batman looked over at J'onn.

"The exercise, it all went wrong." His hand went to his head as he tried to reorder his thoughts.

"Exercise?" Robin sat up, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Try to remember," Batman said softly to the three that had been trapped in the scenario. "What you experienced was a training exercise. Manhunter psychically linked the six of you within an artificial reality. You all knew this going in. What you didn't know was that it was a train for failure exercise. No matter what the Team accomplished, the scenario was designed to grow worse. Still, you were aware nothing was real, including the deaths of the entire Justice League."

"That is why you hardly grieved, even when wolf, Artemis and Kaldur were disintegrated before your eyes." J'onn glanced over at Connor. "But all that changed when Superboy died. Though consciously Miss Martian knew it was not real, her subconscious mind could not make that distinction. She forgot it was only an exercise and her subconscious took control, making you forget too."

"I'm so sorry," M'gann sobbed.

"This isn't her fault," Connor defended, "Why didn't you stop the exercise?"

"We tried." J'onn said softly, "But M'gann had a death grip on the scenario. Even you, who should have awakened upon your 'death' were so convinced you had passed, you slipped into a coma."

"Catwoman went in to wake M'gann up; remind her that it wasn't real."

"My apologies," J'onn stated, "I had no idea a training exercise could be so dangerous, so damaging." He turned to leave, but collapsed due to the psychic strain.

Batman caught him. "As bad as all that?"

"Perhaps worse."

* * *

Selina peeked in on Dick before bed. "Little bird, I know the exercise was disturbing. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shifted over in the bed, making room for her. He settled his head against her shoulder, seeking comfort. "Not yet."

"Alright." She kissed the top of his head. "Don't hold it in for long. If you do, the pain will only linger."


	16. Chapter 16 - 117 Disturbed

117 Disturbed

Selina was concerned enough to stop and speak with Dinah. "How are the little darlings?"

"Traumatized, but recovering – slowly."

"Connor finally opened up?"

Dinah hesitated, but nodded. "Yes."

"Hmm," she said simply and then walked off.

Black Canary called after her, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

* * *

"How are you doing, little archer?" Selina found her alone on a rooftop.

"Fine."

"Try again."

She lowered her bow and dropped her head. "If I had been faster, better, I would have been with them."

"So that Wally wouldn't be suffering alone?"

"Wally's not suffering."

"Of course he's not . He's completely in denial." She hugged the little archer, "It's alright to lean on your friends, little archer. Don't hide behind your stubbornness. We get enough of that from Superboy."

* * *

"The intrepid leader."

Kaldur looked up from his pondering. "Catwoman."

"Suffering from an exercise gone completely wrong?"

"Are not we all?"

"Hmm, some more than others."

"As I told Black Canary, I am not fit for command."

"And why do you say that?"

"I was the general, but behaved like a soldier and sacrificed myself."

"Pfft, like many a general before you. You know there are many different styles of leadership. A captain will go down with their ship; a general might stay on the sidelines and heartlessly send his soldiers to their death. The point is, you have to choose your own leadership style. There's no right or wrong. You just do the best you can for your team."

"Perhaps, I am as yet too inexperienced."

"That's what the training is for."

* * *

"I'm not talking to you." Connor was laid out on the couch, with Wolf sprawled out on the ground in front of him.

Selina smirked, sitting down on the table in front of him. "Then listen. I can guess what you felt during the training. The Justice League gone. Superman dead. Leaving you to be Superman."

"How did you-? Canary said she wouldn't tell anyone."

"She didn't tell me. I know you. I know you well enough to know what you've always wanted. I also know that what you felt wasn't entirely real. Remember, it wasn't until you died that the scenario became real. When the League died, you still knew it wasn't real. Why not find some happiness in being Superman for once?"

"But-"

"Do you still feel that way now?"

"Not really."

* * *

"Miss. M," Selina found her in the kitchen. "Have you begun your training again?"

M'gann nodded. "Uncle J'onn has stepped up my training."

Selina took her hand. "You know it wasn't your fault."

"Everyone keeps telling me that."

"And have you started to believe it yet?"

"Almost?"

"It'll take time, but don't give up."

M'gann hugged her tightly. "I won't."

* * *

"Selina, you didn't have to come all this way." Mrs. West invited her in.

"I came by to see Wally."

"Something happened, didn't it?"

"Training exercise gone wrong. I figured I'd stop by to knock some sense into your son's thick skull."

"He's in his room." She walked back toward the kitchen. "I'll go boil some water for some tea."

Selina didn't bother knocking. "Wally, are you ready to pull your head out of your ass?"

"Selina!" Startled, he fell out of his bed before scrambling to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

She simply reached over and slapped him upside the head. "Denial isn't healthy. Face your issues or I'm having Batman pull you off the Team."

"What? You can't do that!" He paused in his protest, "Can you?"

"You'll find out, won't you?" She eyed him. "Now clean up and join your mother and I for some tea."

* * *

Dick looked down from his perch up in the chandelier. "How's the Team?"

"A little worse for wear, but everyone's coming along. You?" Selina looked up at him.

"You can probably guess."

"There's no shame in not wanting to be _the_ Batman. Like I told Kaldur, you have to find your own way."

"I feel like such a disappointment."

"You're not." Bruce stopped beside Selina, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I don't say it often, but you know that I'm proud of you. Now get down before Alfred sends a dust cloth up there."

As Dick swung back down to the ground, Selina smirked, "You really need to remember that you're not eight anymore. You're not exactly light as a feather. That chandelier might come down the next time you climb up there."

Bruce put his arm around Dick, hugging him. "We're always going to be proud of you, Dick, whatever you decide."

Selina ruffled his hair. "I'd be more proud if you don't end up like Bruce. The world's not big enough for two of him."


	17. Chapter 17 - 118 Secrets

118 Secrets

"I really don't think Connor is the mole." Dick finished putting away his uniform before voicing his opinion. "Selina already had Miss. M clear the Cadmus programming from his mind."

"There could be more." Bruce led the way back up to the manor.

"I doubt it. Miss. M's brain training is progressing really quickly. And she's got a vested interest in Superboy. They're in love or whatever."

"You agree with Kaldur then?"

"We've fought side by side. There have been plenty of opportunities for any of us to betray the Team and none of us have." They reached the dining room to find Selina waiting. "Selina, what do you think?"

Her eyebrow lifted. "I think it's odd that a thirteen year old boy would rather spend time at home than out with his friends on Halloween."

"The Happy Harbor Halloween party? No, thanks. I see enough of costumed heroes on a regular basis." Dick sat down and grabbed a dinner roll. "Besides, how many chances do we get to sit down for dinner as a family?"

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling at Bruce. "So, what do I think about what?"

"The whole mole situation."

"Selina holds the same opinion as Kaldur." Bruce rested his hands on the table. "That there is no mole."

"No mole in the Team, not that there's no mole."

"So you think there's a mole in the League?" Dick's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Well, I'm not going to vouch for everyone in the League," she commented.

"Definitely not Wonder Woman," Dick grinned, knowing that the Amazon was one of Selina's least favorite people.

Bruce's lip twitched.

She threw a glare at them both. "Besides the League is not my business."

"But we're your business," Dick pointed out. "Investigating the League would help us out too."

"Nice try, little bird, but this cat's got better things to do."


	18. Chapter 18 - 119 Misplaced

119 Misplaced

The world finally restored to one with adults _and_ children, Dick rushed through the doors and into Selina's arms. "Missed me?"

"You weren't gone for very long."

"Admit it, you were worried."

"Hardly." She patted his cheek. "I knew between you and Batman things would right themselves. What would be the point in all your training if you didn't take care of things?"

He smirked, squeezing her waist tightly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." He looked up at her. "Hey, did you know that Captain Marvel was a ten year old kid named Billy?" He studied her expression. "Never mind. Of course you did."

* * *

Selina made the trip to Mount Justice to welcome the newest inhabitant. "Zatanna?"

"Selina?" She lifted her tearstained face from her pillow.

"Little dove," she sighed, taking a seat beside her and pulling her into a hug, "it'll be alright."

"How? It's my fault Zatara gave his life to Doctor Fate."

"Not your fault. You were in a no win situation. You did what you had to to save the world. No one would ever fault you for that."

"But Dad-"

"Is happy that you are free. Parents will do anything, give up anything for their children." Selina patted her back. "You'll be alright, little dove."


	19. Chapter 19 - 121 Image

121 Image

"So, what are you going to do?" Selina wrapped her arms around Bruce's shoulders. They'd just watched the security video of M'gann as Black Canary making out with Connor. "Martian games aren't very different from human ones."

"Just more elaborate given her shape-shifting abilities."

"And much more realistic." She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. "Let J'onn and Dinah deal with this. We can play some games of our own."


	20. Chapter 20 - 122 Agendas

122 Agendas

"Another year, another meeting to discuss adding members to the Justice League." Lazing around in bed, Selina drew patterns across Bruce's bare back. "Have you made up your mind on who you're voting for?"

"Without knowing who will be nominated, I can't say." He turned over and pulled her into his arms. "Will you join me on Watchtower?"

She cuddled against him. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not League?"

"You could be."

"Pfft. Not unless you lobotomized me," she scoffed.

He turned her over on to her back, pressing kisses along her neck. "There's nothing I could do to convince you?"

She hummed in delight. "You can try."

* * *

The League had been discussing potential candidates for hours. When the topic of inducting the Team came up, Superman was quite adamantly against it. "We're not inducting children into the League."

"That seems myopic." Doctor Fate argued, "I have been one with Kid Flash and Aqualad. Both are ready."

Wonder Woman asked, "And what about Zatanna?"

"Absolutely not!"

"That sounded almost protective, Doctor. At least we know Zatara is still in that helmet somewhere."

Captain Marvel spoke up, "Why is Doctor Fate a member? You coerced Zatara into giving up his life to you or else lose his daughter instead. Not cool."

Red Tornado asked, "Should such behavior be condoned?"

"Zatara desires Doctor Fate remain with the League."

Green Arrow scoffed, "Oh, please."

"It is true!" Fate defended. "Zatara's trust in Nabu is… measured. He desires the League to maintain a close watch upon us."

They moved on to the next candidate.

"Plastic Man."

Flash observed, "I don't know. The guy has a pretty substantial criminal record."

Discussions were stopped by Captain Marvel's giggling. "Sorry. Sorry. The guy just cracks me up."

"Maybe it's time we all talk about the elephant in the room." Flash sighed, "Should Captain Marvel stay a member now that we know he's really only ten years old?"

"He does possess an adult body and the wisdom of Solomon," Red Tornado remarked.

"Wisdom does not equal maturity," Aquaman reminded.

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Captain Marvel protested.

"Then, Billy, maybe you should leave until we hash this out," Dinah addressed him as if he were a child instead of another member of the League.

"No," Batman stated firmly. "Captain Marvel is a member and is entitled to participate until or unless he's voted out."

"It's not just his age. It's the fact that he lied about it," Wonder Woman pointed out.

"I didn't lie… exactly. I just left out the part about being a kid."

"A lie of omission is still a lie. You kept an important secret from us. No one in the League knew the truth."

"I did."

Everyone looked at Batman in surprise.

Wonder Woman leaned back. "I shouldn't be surprised, since you indoctrinated Robin into crime fighting at the ripe old age of nine."

Batman's irritation was rising, but he kept his expression blank. "Robin needed to help bring the man who murdered his family to justice."

"So he could turn out like you?"

"So that he wouldn't." He turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. "We all have our secrets-"

"You more than any of us," Green Arrow muttered.

"I don't believe that Captain Marvel should be punished for maintaining his secret identity. We're all entitled to one. It's why we all wear masks."

"Who's next?" Superman asked.

Captain Marvel hesitated, glancing at Batman before saying, "What about Catwoman?"

"Absolutely not!" Wonder Woman stated, crossing her arms.

Hawkman smirked, "I thought you wanted more women in the League."

" _Not_ Catwoman."

"Why not?" Flash sat up with interest. "She's helped the League dozens of times."

"The Team value her counsel," Red Tornado added.

"She is a criminal," Wonder Woman argued, "a thief."

"Alleged," Green Arrow smirked, "she's never been caught in the act and there has been no evidence to support her conviction."

Wonder Woman said through gritted teeth, "She is not League material."

Aquaman set his fists on the table. "Catwoman is a remarkably skilled and intelligent woman. She has provided important information that saved the League time and resources."

"And she was at Mount Justice to save the Team from the Reds." Flash rubbed his head. "We've all faced off against the Reds. We all know how… difficult it is and she managed to keep two busy."

"I would rather have her on our side than not," Dinah commented.

Wonder Woman huffed, "She associates with known criminals."

Superman glanced at Batman. "Is there any point in discussing this? I have a feeling that she wouldn't accept League membership even if we offered it to her."

Batman grunted. "Feline independence."

"She does not respect what we're trying to do here." Wonder Woman was pleased that she did not have to contend with that _woman_ in the League.

Manhunter said sagely, "Catwoman has her own methods. Perhaps we might ask her to assist as needed."

Everyone glanced at Batman expecting some comment.

Silence reigned.

Manhunter continued, "You seem to have reached consensus that eighteen years is a suitable minimal age for joining the League. Yet, what of Miss Martian? Though she is a biological adolescent by Martian standards, she was born forty-eight Earth years ago."

The discussion continued.

* * *

Catwoman intercepted Connor outside of Mount Justice. "You've been naughty."

"Selina." He was surprised too that the super cycle stopped for her.

Wolf leapt out and padded to her side. She patted his neck as she scolded Connor. "I thought you agreed to let me know if Luthor reached out to you."

Connor rubbed his neck. "I thought I could handle it on my own."

"Did you?"

"There's another clone – Project Match. He's unstable, fully Kryptonian. You were right about Luthor being the human part of my DNA too." He updated her on everything he'd learned and then reached into his pocket and handed her the tin of shields. "He also gave me these."

She opened the tin. "You used one."

"He said it suppressed my human DNA. They gave me access to flight, heat vision, super speed, _super_ super-strength."

"But how did it make you feel?"

"Angrier," he admitted.

"I'll look into these." She tucked the tin into her suit. "Good job tricking Luthor into believing 'red sun' still worked." She punched him in the arm. "If you ever go off on your own again, I'll make sure you feel that."

"Thank you… for telling me about Luthor. I don't know how I would have reacted if I was hearing it from him for the first time."

"You're a good kid. A bit of temper, but still a good kid." She gave Wolf one last pat before she disappeared into the shadows. "Stay out of trouble, Connor."

He stared after her, thinking he wanted to try something out. "I will… Mom." As soon as the word left his lips, in his heart he knew it felt right.

* * *

Dick looked up from the Batcomputer when Batman arrived in the Batcave. "How'd the vote go?"

"The results were ratified. We'll be announcing the new members at the end of the year." Batman brought up images of the new members on the monitor.

"I'm glad Billy is still part of the League." Dick skimmed the familiar profiles. "Hey, what's this asterisk beside CW?"

Bruce's lip twitched. "Special request by the League. They've asked to have Catwoman as an unofficial member; someone they can rely on for help… if required."

"Your friend, Billy decided to nominate me for membership." Selina walked down the stairs from the manor. "It was a relatively boring debate."

"Ooh-ooh, let me guess. Let me guess. WW adamantly against you; everyone else singing your praises." Dick smirked as he leaned back in the big chair.

"See, Bruce, I keep saying he's too smart for his own good." She ruffled Dick's hair.

His arms closed around her waist. "I take it you were spying on the meeting?"

"Some of it. League business is such a yawner. Besides, I had other business to deal with." She leaned back against him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm surprised you didn't smack down Diana. She was even more overbearing than usual."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?"

"Bruce, you are so dense sometimes."


	21. Chapter 21 - 123 Security

123 Security

"Miss Selina, will you be spending your day in the Batcave again?" Alfred asked during breakfast.

She huffed, knowing that it was Alfred's subtle way of tattling on her. "Yes, I'm still working on my goggles."

"More upgrades?" Dick asked curiously.

"Just some tweaks to my new pair."

Bruce frowned. "I made them to your specifications."

"And you did a lovely job, but they didn't fit quite right." She offered him a sly smile. "Must need the female touch."

"You're programming something new," Dick said matter-of-factly, "there's no point in hiding it."

"Don't you two have some Bat, Team or League business to deal with?"

The boys exchanged looks and then shook their heads. "No."

"Fine," she sighed, "I'm studying a drug that's supposed to give Connor his full Kryptonian powers."

"No way. That exists?"

"Where did you get it from?"

"Cadmus." She shrugged, "I've been keeping an eye on the facility. The new head scientist is relatively harmless; Guardian is doing what he can; but the company has Luthor all over it. There was another clone before Connor. Full Kryptonian, but completely unstable. They're keeping him on ice." She shrugged, "I'm still sifting through their files, but there are so many genomorph clones."

"Family project?" Dick asked eagerly.

She nodded, even as she said, "I worry about you sometimes. You need to take time to be a kid."

Bruce tucked Selina's hand around his arm and led the way down to the cave. "Is there any more you need to tell me?"

"Probably."

* * *

Leaving the boys to complete the science part of the research, Catwoman paid a visit to Mount Justice. "Wolf, napping in the middle of the cave doesn't seem normal for you." She glanced above him. "What are your friends doing snooping in Red's apartment?" Hands on her hips, she decided to leave them for Red to deal with. Curling on to the sofa, she waited for Wolf to join her and then brought up the cave's system. She whiled away her time checking her adjustments in the system and catching up on the Team's mission logs.

When M'gann, Zatanna and Connor landed behind her, she waited quietly for them to notice her.

"Catwoman," M'gann said in surprise. "We didn't know you were visiting."

"When do we ever know when she plans on stopping by." Connor jumped over the back of the sofa to take the empty spot beside her. "So, are you going to lecture us for invading Red's privacy?"

"Was Red concerned?" she asked, continuing her own snooping.

Sitting in the adjacent chair, Zatanna shrugged, "He's an android. I don't think he can be concerned."

"Then why would I lecture you?"

"Because it's wrong to invade someone's privacy?" M'gann hovered in front of them, unsure where to sit. She wouldn't admit it to just anyone, but Catwoman intimidated her.

"Well, it seems you all know what you did was wrong, so there's not much more I should say." She waved her hand to dissipate the holographic screen. "Now, the rest of the Team will return soon. Their mission was an epic fail, so we should bake some cookies; lift their spirits."

"Really?" Connor said in surprise.

M'gann floated to the kitchen first, excited. "I have the best snickerdoodle recipe."

"Do we have chocolate chips?" Zatanna followed too.

Connor thought it was the oddest image to see Catwoman dressed head to toe in black leather with a pink apron tied around her waist. He also thought that something must be up. He leaned against one of the counters – out of the way of the puttering – as he considered what she was up to.

It wasn't long before the kitchen smelled of fresh baked goods.

"Meringues!" M'gann's eyes widened in admiration at the melt-in-your-mouth-goodness.

They were joined soon after by Aqualad, Kid Flash, Artemis and Red Arrow. They were bickering.

M'gann and Zatanna carried their trays of cookies to share with the Team.

Pulling her goggled into place and ditching the apron, Catwoman slowly turned the corner, just enough so that she could get Red Arrow in her sights. She'd spent enough time with the rest of the Team to know that they weren't the mole. The only one that had escaped her surreptitious interrogations was Roy.

She'd known him almost as long as she'd known her little bird. She understood his anger when he was first denied membership to the League, but – if she knew her boys well – she would have sworn that he'd have got over it a lot quicker than he did. He wasn't acting like her little arrow.

Now that she knew what she was looking for, she donned her goggles for the opportunity to know for sure.

It only took a minute for the scan to complete. The results were not good ones. Sighing, she said out loud, "Sometimes I hate when I'm right." Approaching the Team, she called, "Override, Catwoman, code bats."

"Recognize: Catwoman, code bats," the computer chimed. The cave went on full lock down – exits, zeta tubes, communications, access to the system all locked down.

The Team had gone on alert, drawing their weapons on her as soon as the cave began locking down.

Arrow in bow, Roy looked at her incredulously. "You're the mole?"

"Hardly, little arrow." She dodged his attack, her whip lashed out to disarm him. "You are." Landing in front of him, she eyed him through her goggles and said, "Broken arrow."

The Team watched in disbelief as he went completely lax, still as a mannequin.

"No," Wally said in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"It was Roy?" Kaldur's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't see it."

Wally started shaking his head. "No. This is wrong. There's no way."

"Catwoman," Batman's voice sounded over the intercom, "why did you lock out the cave?"

"Dear Bats, it's not much of a lock out if you managed to get through." She moved around Roy, disarming him of his quiver and remaining weapons.

"Since the last incident with the Reds, I installed a secondary system."

"Can I assume that since you're not present, you couldn't bypass my zeta tube lockout?" she smirked, pleased that she had one over on him.

"I figured I'd ask nicely before I tried."

"Hmm, seems like you're learning. Override, Catwoman, reactivate zeta tube. Bats 0-2 and Robin B 0-1 only."

"Recognize: Catwoman, reactivate zeta tube; limited access." One zeta tube came back online.

Catwoman looked up and added, "Override, Catwoman, let Red Tornado in."

The computer acknowledge the command.

"Catwoman, why have you locked down the cave?" Red zoomed down as soon as his access was re-opened.

"Catching a mole, Red. My override locked down everything. Figured it was easiest." Catwoman continued to study Roy.

"Red Arrow is the mole?"

"He's a Cadmus clone, like Connor. He's been programmed, so I doubt he knew he was the mole."

Batman and Robin arrived. They were caught up quickly.

Robin walked up to Catwoman and asked softly, "Can I borrow your goggles?"

"Little bird-"

"Please? I want to see. I _have_ to see." He needed to know, to understand.

She took off her goggles and handed them to him. "There's not much to see."

Kid Flash intervened, grabbing the goggles and smashing them on the ground. "It's not true!"

"I'm afraid it is." Batman had borrowed Catwoman's tech and integrated it into his own cowl. "His DNA sequencing is too perfect."

Connor studied Roy, another clone like him. "He wouldn't have shut down if it weren't true."

M'gann stepped forward. "I can search his mind, remove the programming like I did with Connor."

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure it will be as simple." Catwoman continued to circle Roy. "Based on the Cadmus files I was able to get my hands on, they kidnapped Speedy three years ago, cloned him and then returned him to Green Arrow."

"They've had years to perfect his programming." Batman stood, running scenarios through his mind.

"But for what?" Robin demanded.

Kaldur agreed. "Other than Sportsmaster's warning, there have been no signs of a mole – no missing data; no infiltration; no botched missions."

"They created someone to infiltrate the League." Catwoman explained, "It's why I started to suspect Roy to begin with. His drive to join the League was… excessive, out of character."

"So there's a chance we can clear the programming and everything will be okay?" M'gann said eagerly.

"Do it." Batman stepped back to make room. "Worst case, we don't clear it all, but we know what to look for now."

* * *

When Roy woke up it was to find everyone standing around him. Spinning around frantically, he demanded, "What happened? What did you do to me?"

Batman said softly, "Sit down, Roy. There's a lot to explain."

Kid Flash placed a chair behind him, while Connor and Kaldur gently pushed him down.

"Here, have a cookie." Selina held the tray of meringues to him. "I made your favorite." When he hesitated, she nudged him, "Take them before Wally tries to get at them. Come on, little arrow, you know you can trust me. I've always taken care of you."

"You did something to me." He said in confusion. He felt like a veil had been lifted, but everything was still foggy.

"Do you want to hear it from Batman or from me?" she asked softly.

"You," he said quickly. "You've always been straight with me. Everyone else speaks half-truths or platitudes."

"Then listen closely, little arrow; and if you freak out on me, remember, I've locked the cave down. There's nowhere for you to run." Selina pulled off her cowl before she started.

The Team stood around him, offering their support as Catwoman explained everything to him.

His shoulders slumped in disbelief as he processed the new information. "So I'm a clone."

"So am I," Connor reminded.

"But I was programmed to betray you."

"So was I, but M'gann removed the programming. She did it for me, just like she did it for you."

"Roy," Robin said softly, "you haven't betrayed us. You heard what Selina said. The programming was removed before any harm was done."

"How do you know? How do you know 'broken arrow' was the only thing they programmed into me?" he demanded, frantic.

"It's probably not that reassuring to hear, but M'gann went through your brain with a fine-toothed comb. There's nothing left of the Cadmus programming." Connor stepped forward and leant over the man. "I know you don't really know me, but believe me when I say that there's no chance of any programming remaining."

"You're right. I don't know you." He stood and backed away from them. "I shouldn't be here."

"What did I say about freaking out?" Selina said dryly.

"Selina, let me out. I don't belong here."

Her arms crossed as she stared him down. "Roy-"

The boys in the cave all winced at the tone. They'd all been on the receiving end of it and nothing pretty ever came from it.

"Sit down."

When he obediently sat back down in his chair, Selina said, "Now, you will stay there and process the information like a good little boy. Eat your meringues."

Wally whispered to him, "Hey, if you don't want them, I'll take them."

Watching her rival obey without question, Artemis leaned over and whispered to M'gann, "Are you sure you removed all his programming?"

Zatanna shook her head, "Definitely not programming. Just sheer force of will."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Shows over, darlings. Go wash up and prepare for bed. Batman, be a dear and notify everyone's parents, please."

"You're holding us prisoner here?" Artemis screeched.

"Sleepover, little archer. After the day we've all had, I doubt any of you will be doing any actual sleeping." She clapped her hands, getting everyone moving. "Wally, I better not find out you ate all the cookies."

Batman stopped beside Catwoman. "Impressive."

"Pfft. This is nothing."

Red Tornado joined them. "It was indeed impressive. You are a worthy den mother."

"It just takes a firm hand."

Roy pulled off his mask, dropping it on the ground. "It's not just that. It's because we know you care."

"We all care," Batman commented.

"Yeah, well, none of you really show it." He looked at Selina, "You might not come around very often, but you always seem to be there when we need you. There's a reason why half the Team think of you as their mother."

Selina was slightly flustered, but she didn't show it. "Well, you're a ragtag bunch of strays; and I seem to have a soft spot for strays."

* * *

"So Roy's a clone," Wally stated. He was sprawled across one of the beds.

Kaldur, Connor and Dick stretched out in each of their own cots. They decided to bunk in one of the guest areas instead of their own rooms.

"So?" Connor voiced, "I'm a clone."

"Just processing, SB." Dick explained, "Nothing against clones."

"We knew from the start that you were a clone. Finding out Roy is a clone is another matter." Kaldur stared at the ceiling.

"We've all done the math," Dick added, "Roy's the only Roy we've ever known."

"There goes some of the guilt of not knowing," Wally sighed, turning over on his side. "What happened to the real Roy then?"

Sitting up, Dick tapped into his computer and tried to access the data. "Damn. Selina's still got the Mount Justice computers locked down."

"She's being cautious," Kaldur remarked.

"You think she's worried Roy might still steal info?" Wally sat up at the thought.

Connor grunted, "She doesn't want him to run off. He's freaked out and questioning his existence. It's easier to help him work through it if we're not trying to find him."

Dick looked over at him. "Did you go through the same thing?"

"No. I guess you're right. Knowing I'm a clone doesn't really bother me. It's the only reality I've ever known. Even being programmed didn't scare me that much."

"Because you know M'gann and you trust her abilities." Kaldur added grimly, "Roy does not have that trust."

"I think right now the only person Roy trusts is CW." Realizing that fact made Dick relax and lie back down.

It seemed to have the same effect on everyone.

Wally collapsed back in the cot and closed his eyes. "Selina will make it right."

Connor had closed his eyes and was drifting off, "Mom always does."

The other three boys sat up straight again. "Mom?"

His eyes popped open again and his face flushed, realizing the slip. "Well, yeah. I kinda think of her as my mom," he admitted. "She's taught me a lot of stuff; and she cares for me."

"Does she know?" Dick asked curiously.

"No. I don't know. I don't think so. But I've never actually called her 'Mom' to her face. She'd probably hit me and remind me that she's too young to be my mom."

"Not true. You're not even one year old yet," Wally pointed out. He received a few pillows in the face.

"I have to admit, I think of her as my mom too." Dick hugged his remaining pillow, waiting for the teasing.

"We know," the others boys chimed.

"And Batman's your dad," Connor added, settling back in to sleep.

Wally had a thought. "Hey, Connor, does that mean Batman's your dad too?"

His answer was three more pillows in the face.

* * *

"This is nice." M'gann settled into her bed. "I've never been to a sleepover before."

Artemis beat her pillow, trying to fluff it up. "Yeah, it's great," she said dryly. "It's just peachy. We're trapped in the cave with the guy that's been accusing me of being a mole."

Zatanna muttered a spell, pleased when her bed became ultra-comfortable. "Well, it's not like it was Roy's fault. And no offense, Artemis, but we all know you're keeping secrets. It's not really a surprise that he found you suspicious."

The archer gapped at her friend. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can stop hiding it," M'gann told her. "We're not going to pry."

"Just know that we're here for you when you're ready to share." Zatanna snuggled into her bed. "We're your friends."

The blond lowered her head in shame, but she was still reluctant to reveal her familial connections. Without a word, she pulled her covers over her head and tried to sleep.

M'gann and Zatanna exchanged looks before they too tried to sleep.

After a while of sleeplessness, it was Zatanna that broke the silence. "Does anyone else think Selina is badass?"

M'gann sighed, "She's extremely intimidating. Especially since Connor considers her his mother. I want her to like me."

"You can't just read her mind and find out?" Artemis asked.

Zatanna warned, "You really shouldn't do that."

"I know, human privacy…"

"But you tried, didn't you?" Artemis knew her telepathic friend well.

"I did," M'gann admitted.

"And?"

"Nothing. She's constantly reciting the code to the Cartier's vault in Gotham. Sometimes she has the recipe for béchamel sauce repeating over and over." M'gann sighed, "The couple times I tried to see deeper, she knew. I'm not going to try it again."

"Definitely a good idea not to." Zatanna turned over to see them. "I've known Catwoman as long as Zatara has been in the League. She's done some pretty impressive stuff."

"For someone with no powers," Artemis qualified. She was used to hearing the same about Green Arrow – impressive for a human.

"Just straight up impressive. She's like the female version of Batman. Better, because she doesn't come off like a robot." She sighed, hugging her pillow. "I love her. I never knew my mother growing up, but she was always around when I needed advice… you know, stuff that you want to ask your mom about."

Artemis had to agree. "My mom's around, but… I don't know… there's some things I just can't talk to her about."

"Catwoman does seem to take an interest in our well-being," M'gann observed, "more than any of the other League members do. Except maybe Black Canary."

"Wonder Woman always goes on about female power and solidarity, but you don't see her stopping by to see us or train us." Artemis rolled her eyes, "She probably thinks we're beneath her."

"Too 'busy' with League business," Zatanna added sarcastically.

"But Catwoman isn't in the League," M'gann pointed out. "Do you think they don't accept her?"

"I think _she_ doesn't accept _them_ ," Artemis laughed. "Something Robin always says – feline independence. She's too cool for the League."

* * *

"Are you going to sleep?" Selina asked Bruce.

"I'm trying to access the cave systems."

"Bats, you can do that in the morning. You're just finding an excuse to keep yourself busy."

"We need to be here for Roy."

"I've already sent him off to bed. Red's going to watch out for him."

Knowing he didn't have any other excuse, he simply said, "I'm not sleeping in the cave."

"Why not? We have our own room and everything."

"It's undignified."

"What? You think the little darlings don't know you sleep?" She smiled at him slyly, "Or do you think they don't know we sleep together?"

He simply stared at her stonily.

"Come on. They're all asleep. Just take a few hours for a bat-nap. You'll be awake before any of them. I'll even promise to keep my hands to myself."

He stepped up to her and said softly, "You know I don't like to sleep with the cowl on."

Grinning, she handed him the eye mask that she had prepared.

Relenting, he let her guide him to their room.

* * *

Dick's eyes popped open, the smell of breakfast waking him. It was early still, so he moved quietly so he didn't wake his roommates. Washing up, he went quickly to the kitchen to find piles of food on the counter. "Did you sleep at all?"

Selina, having changed into an oversized gray dolman sweater and black leggings, was dancing around the kitchen making scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast and waffles. She already had freshly squeezed orange juice and brewed coffee on the table. "Good morning, little bird. Are any of the other little darlings up?"

"Nope." He poured himself a tall glass of juice. "Do I smell bacon?"

"In the oven."

"So really, did you sleep at all?" He helped himself to the spread she was making.

"Caught a cat-nap." She tilted her head towards the training room. "Batman's been up longer than I have. He's going through his morning routine."

"I know _he_ didn't sleep."

"Of course he did." She set the bacon – fresh out of the oven – in front of him. "Don't eat it all."

Dick swallowed before asking, "When are you going to remove the lock down anyway?"

Roy wandered in next, heading straight for the coffee.

In answer to Dick's question, Selina eyed the red head, "When I'm sure this one won't run off half-cocked." She shoved a plate of food at Roy. "What's going on in that brain of yours today?"

"Not much," he admitted, taking a seat beside Robin. "I understand that it's not my fault – being the mole, being a clone – but I can't help feeling guilty."

"No one expects you to just get over it. It's going to take time." Selina sat down in front of him. "I just want to make sure that you know – _really_ know – that you didn't do anything wrong. You had no control over what happened or what they had planned for you." She said clearly, "No one blames you."

"Artemis might." He smirked, "I haven't exactly been nice to her."

Selina shrugged, pushing back to her feet. "With good reason. She's been acting suspiciously." Patting his shoulder, she smirked, "I would be suspicious of her too if I didn't know what she was trying to hide."

"I knew it," he said, vindicated. "I knew she was hiding something." Now that he didn't feel guilty for giving Artemis a hard time, he dug into his breakfast with zeal.

Robin arched his eyebrow. "That's it? You know you weren't wrong and everything's better?"

Roy gulped his food. "At least about that." He paused and stared at his plate grimly. "What happened to the real Roy though?"

"Little arrow, you _are_ the _real_ Roy. So what if you're a clone; you're still a _real_ boy." She sat back down at the table with her own breakfast. "As for the original Roy Harper, I couldn't find anything in the Cadmus files about what they term _source_ material. There's another Roy clone though – goes by Jim. They aged him so that he's older than you and programmed him to think he's your uncle."

"How many of us are there?" Roy said in disbelief.

"Only two, well three of you exist." She withdrew a USB drive and slid it across the table to him. "There's everything I was able to find about you, Jim and the original Roy." Her green eyes gleamed as she studied him. "Have you finished your temper tantrum now?"

He smirked at her, gripping the USB drive tightly. "For now, but I reserve the right to freak out again without any warning."

"Just know that if you go off half-cocked, I'll be forced to whomp you."

A silent agreement was made between Selina and Roy. Dick gave Roy a good-natured pat on his shoulder. Everything was right in the world again.

"If everything is settled," Batman's deep voice sounded behind them, "Selina, would you remove the lock down on the cave?"

Her eyebrow lifted. "I would have thought that you'd like to discuss Roy's next mission with him first."

He looked at her quietly for a moment. "You're right. Red Arrow, when you've finished your breakfast, please join me in training room two."

"B, you're not going to eat?" Dick waved a waffle in the air. "Handmade by Catwoman."

"Actually," Selina smirked, "handmade by Batman." At the boys' baffled looks, she gestured at the spread in front of them. "You don't think I could have possibly made all this on my own." Admittedly, all Bruce did was pour the batter into the waffle iron and flipped as required, it was still something.

Dick stared at the waffle in his hand. "Now I'm not sure if I should eat this or frame it for Al."

Batman grunted before silently disappearing.

"Don't play with your food, little bird."

* * *

"Recognize: Catwoman, code bats cancelled."

The Team looked up when the cave systems reactivated.

"Finally." Artemis made a beeline for the zeta tubes. "See you guys for the next mission."

"Recognize: Artemis, B-0-7."

Connor glanced over at Red Arrow, who had just returned from speaking with Batman. "You good?"

"Good enough." He'd re-donned his mask and armed himself to head out.

"If you ever need to talk…"

"Thanks." His eyes drifted over to Selina before turning back to Superboy. "I might take you up on it."

"Well, you know where to find me." Connor shook his hand.

Selina hummed, "It's so good to see my boys playing nice for once."

"We always play nice," Wally argued.

"Pfft, my memory is not that short, Kid." She joined Red Arrow, kissing him on the cheek. "Be good."

"By your standards," he grinned and then left the cave.

"Recognize: Red Arrow, B-0-6."

"I take my leave of you little darlings," Selina smiled at the Team. "Another time."

They watched as she zeta'd away; the computer remaining silent.

"How did she do that?" Wally said in shock. He knew it was League protocol for the computer to announce everyone's arrival and departure. It was a safety feature and an override wasn't supposed to be possible."

Batman nodded to Red Tornado before leaving himself.

"Recognize: Batman 0-2."

"Later, guys," Dick waved.

"Recognize: Robin, B-0-1."

Zatanna and M'gann each grabbed one of Wally's arms, dragging him toward the kitchen where he had demolished the breakfast that Selina and Batman had prepared. "Clean up time."

* * *

Back at the manor, Bruce sat down in the parlor with Selina and Dick. He waited patiently for her to explain. He smiled internally seeing that she was waiting patiently for him to ask his questions.

Seeing that their battle of wills would never end, Dick spoke up, "Selina, how did you know? When did you start to suspect? Is that why you coded your override into the cave?"

Grinning, Selina silently acknowledged to Bruce that they're little standoff would have to wait for another time. "As Bruce already figured out, the DNA analysis proved that Roy was a clone. I had to wait for my new goggles to confirm it."

"But you had the Cadmus files? How did you even get the Cadmus files?"

"From Cadmus, silly."

"This is what you probably should have told me about, isn't it?" Bruce asked.

Deciding to be more forthcoming with her activities, she explained, "I'm not some evil genius. I made some changes to the cave system because it suited my purposes. If my little darlings are going off on missions, I'd like to know about it."

"And the override?" Dick asked.

"She did it to prove she could outsmart me." Bruce leaned back comfortably in his chair. "I found the code that bypassed all the zeta tube safeguards, but I missed the override."

He looked shocked at his mentor and father figure. "You missed it? _You_ missed it?"

"He's not a robot, Dick. He is capable of missing things."

"But-but he's Batman."

"Dick, I'm not infallible."

"Not to me." Selina leaned over and pressed a kiss to Bruce's cheek. "But I'm me."

He rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Continue."

"I was looking into Cadmus for Connor's sake. When I finally found the files related to him, it referenced the previous project – Project Match – that they were attempting to improve upon. Took me awhile to dig up the details of Project Match and I happened upon the information about Speedy and his clones." She decided to keep Connor's secret regarding his escapades into Cadmus at Luthor's bidding. She didn't start looking for information on Match until Connor told her about him. That was when she decided to look more thoroughly through Cadmus's files – other than the multitude of genomorphs, they hadn't made many other clones – only the Superman clones and the Roy clones. "I couldn't confirm what I'd found until my goggles were ready."

"Were you able to find anything about the original Roy Harper?" Bruce asked softly.

"Unfortunately no." She tapped her finger against her leg, "I have been considering making a trip to Cadmus and seeing if I could convince the genomorphs to help me with that."

"No."

"Connor might have more luck, since Dubbilex considers him family."

"No."

"Bruce, Cadmus is run by Lex Luthor, _you_ can't very well walk in and get answers."

"If we're seen looking into Cadmus clones – looking for Roy – we risk blowing Red Arrow's cover."

She sighed deeply, "Fine. I'll use my other methods."

He's eyes narrowed briefly, but he decided to let it go. He knew she would be careful. She wasn't one to risk her 'little darlings'. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not about Roy." She shrugged, "Other than his attraction to Cheshire." She held a finger to her lips, "Shh, don't tell Artemis."

Dick's eyes widened, "Really?"

"I'm not surprised. Not many men can resist a bad girl." She offered Bruce a sly smile.

He grunted.

"There's probably more I should tell you," she tilted her head in thought, "but I can't be bothered." Standing, she kissed him briefly on the lips before heading out. "Time for some shopping. Ta-ta."

Dick watched her go. "That's it?"

Bruce stood. "There's really no point in trying to stop her. She has her secrets. I have mine."

"You know, as role models, you both suck."

He smirked, "You turned out okay, didn't you?"


	22. Chapter 22 - 124 Performance

124 Performance

"You're coming with us?" Robin blinked incredulous eyes at Catwoman.

"I have some things to do in Europe." She stepped foot on the bioship.

M'gann was startled when the ship automatically created a new seat for Catwoman.

"Why, thank you," Selina said, pleased. Taking her seat, she pulled out a tablet and began keying in information. When no one moved, she ordered, "Carry on. Pretend I'm not here."

Red Arrow spun around in his chair. "Are you going to join us on the mission?"

"Do you need the help?" she challenged him.

"Well… no."

She smiled. "I will likely join in your little circus act. Other than Robin, I doubt any of you are acrobats."

* * *

Artemis studied Roy as they were about to go out on stage. "How've you been?"

"Well enough." He tested the tension of his bow. "It helps to be on a mission."

"Right, something to focus on." She took a breath and checked her quiver.

He smirked at her. "You know I still don't trust you. I know you're hiding something."

"Well I don't trust you either. And it's got nothing to do with the clone thing. I saw you and Cheshire together." Without letting him defend his actions, she took her place on stage.

The Team had played their act well enough for the past few nights, but everyone was concerned that Robin was feeling a little under the weather. Their concerns were justified when he didn't reach far enough to grab M'gann's hands.

The crowd gasped in shock as he free fell.

{ Don't blow our cover! }

{ But saving your life's okay? } Connor threw a barrel up to push him back up in the air.

M'gann swung passed again, but was still out of reach.

{ Don't use your telekinesis, darling. I've got the little bird. } Selina arched by, upside down, the ropes of the trapeze twisted around her ankles. She grabbed Robin's hand.

Applause roared through the stands.

With their momentum, Robin swung and grabbed another trapeze. He landed safely on the platform and watched as Catwoman unhooked one leg, so she swung with the support of only one rope.

{ Oh, now you're just showing off. } Robin grinned.

{ I don't get many opportunities to demonstrate my skills anymore. } She swung back and forth a couple times, held up by only one leg hooked around the rope. As she lost some of her momentum, she folded herself in half and grabbed the trapeze. Lowering her leg, she built up her momentum again. { Darling, a trapeze, please. } Without waiting for acknowledgement, she released her trapeze and performed a triple somersault, straightening out and grabbing the requested bar. When she was mid-swing, she released the trapeze again and flipped through the air to land on the platform beside M'gann. Feet stable beneath her, Selina bowed to the roaring crowd and waved. { Little bird, I think you're more than just a little under the weather. }

M'gann looked between them in surprise. { Really? I'm not exactly the acrobat you two are, but even with my telekinesis, I've been struggling. }

{ Darling, there's a grace to acrobatics that you don't quite have. But Robin was performing on a trapeze since he was in short shorts. Our little routine should be nothing for him. } She gestured for everyone to leave the stage. { Help Dan backstage. }

* * *

Back in their train cabin, Selina checked on Robin. { Little bird, I don't think this is the flu. }

{ What else could it be? }

She frowned. { The last time I saw symptoms like this, the League was dealing with Parasite. }

Artemis winced in disgust. { What kind of parasite? }

{ _The_ Parasite. He steals people's powers. He knocked out Superman for an entire day. } Selina looked around the cabin. { M'gann, Connor, try to keep your distance from strangers. Don't let anyone touch you. }

{ What about the rest of us? } Roy asked.

{ We're not super powered. There's less risk of our abilities being used against us. } Robin went for his uniform.

She studied him, wondering if she should stop him from going out tonight. { Be careful on your stakeout, little darlings. }

Connor pulled his Superman t-shirt back on. { Where are you going? }

{ None of your business. See you at tomorrow's show. }

* * *

It took another night before they managed to stop Parasite and help Interpol apprehend him. Robin stopped by Haly's office to tell him that the Dangers would be moving on from the circus. Agreeing to one last show, the Dangers took the stage one last time before heading home.

Jack Haly stopped Selina on her way out. "I'm glad Dick found a family that accepts him… and loves him."

"Well, he's a lovable little bird." She smiled, not even flinching over the fact that Mr. Haly seemed to know Dick's identity.

"That he is."

"Good luck, Jack. It was lovely to perform with your circus, as short a time as it was."

"I'll miss seeing the Dangers' flying trapeze act. You don't get to witness that kind of talent often." He shook her hand. "Take care of that kid."

"Always do."

* * *

"So?" Bruce hugged her when she crossed the threshold, returning from her trip.

"Dick's good." She snuggled against his chest.

"I'm glad he was able to help Haly-"

"And stop that black hole generator."

"That was a bonus."

She smiled up at him. "I think being at the circus made him feel close to his parents again."

"He was raised on the trapeze. Watching him perform… it was like he was home." He'd found camera-phone recordings of the Dangers' act all over the interweb. He'd enjoyed watching it all. Bruce held her tight, "And you looked just as comfortable in the air as he did."

She purred, "Well, I have to get my jollies somewhere. It's hard to get a certain bat to chase me across the rooftops nowadays." She pressed a kiss to his cheek before admitting, "I worried about joining them."

That surprised him. "Why?"

"The flying trapeze… it's something he used to do with his parents."

"Selina," Dick had arrived and overheard, "you are my parents." He approached slowly, awkwardly. "I promise to save this for special occasions, but… Mom, I love you. I know you're not trying to replace my parents. You and Bruce are just my other parents. We're family and I love you both."

Her eyes were teary, as she pulled him into a hug with her and Bruce. "I love you, little bird."


	23. Chapter 23 - 125 Usual Suspects

125 Usual Suspects

"Tell me if this sounds familiar. You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol and endangered your lives. And your initiative resulted in the capture of three escaped felons, proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity." Batman paused for dramatic effect. "Well done." He gestured to the suitcase recovered from their Smokey Mountains escapade. "And then, there's this. Bio-technology integrated with some form of nano-circuitry."

Icon studied one of the pieces. "Though I am unfamiliar with the species, the bio-component is clearly not of Earth."

"We'll take it to Watchtower for further study." Without another word, Batman left the cave. He was not surprised to find Selina waiting for him on the other side. He handed the case to her.

Smiling, she kissed his cheek. "You always get me the most interesting presents."

"You can take one to study here in the cave. Icon is probably wondering why I'm not at Watchtower with him now."

"Like he'd be brave enough to question you." She carried the case over to the science lab. Popping it open, she hummed, "Pretty."

"And most likely extremely dangerous."

"Those are some of the prettiest things." She selected one and placed it inside the scanner.

"You'll let me know what you find out?"

"The bio-circuitry is disturbingly sophisticated." Her eyes took in the holographic rendering of the microscopic detail. "It will take me some time, but I'll let you know as soon as I find something interesting." She keyed a few commands and read the results. "The electronic portion looks a lot like Serling Roquette's fog."

"The League of Shadows stole that technology."

"I'll try to get a consult with her."

Batman kissed her cheek, knowing that she was too distracted to pay him anymore attention. "Keep me up to date."

"Just go to your party already." She waved absently and continued with the scans.

* * *

The Team arrived back at Mount Justice from Santa Prisca. They were only there for minutes before Robin received an alarm on his arm computer.

He frowned and answered quickly, "Selina? What's going on?"

"Code B, little bird. Code B." She ended the communication with that.

Wally spoke first, watching the color drain from his best pal's face. "That's not good, is it?"

Robin franticly accessed Mount Justice computers and located every member of the League.

"Robin?" Kaldur asked.

Connor frowned, "What's going on?"

Downloading the information he needed, Robin finally said, "Get what you need. We need to vacate the cave."

"Rob!" Wally shouted, trying to get through to his friend. "What's going on? What's 'code B'?"

"It's something Catwoman and I came up with… in case Batman ever became compromised."

Zatanna looked nervous, disbelieving. "Batman's been compromised?"

"No." He shook his head. "The entire League has been compromised. We _have_ to go. _Now_!"

Connor and Artemis got Wolf and Super Cycle, while everyone else got back on the bioship.

{ What's the plan? } M'gann steered the bioship out of the hangar and out in the air.

Zatanna reached out and touched Robin's arm. { Are you okay? }

{ Batman's… _Batman_. This can't be happening. } He took a deep, calming breath, before he nodded. { I'm fine. } He turned to M'gann. { Head to these coordinates. Catwoman will find us there. }

{ Is it possible that Catwoman is wrong? } Rocket looked at the group. { Shouldn't we try to confirm with… _someone_? }

{ No! } Robin glared at her from behind his mask. { She wouldn't have used Code B lightly. }

Wally asked, { How many codes are there? }

{ Fifty-two… with varying degrees of severity. } He said grimly. { Code B… it was meant as a joke. Code Batman. }

{ Because who wants Batman to be coming for them. } Zatanna finished, understanding the implication.

{ So basically the world is ending. } Connor huffed. { Great. }

{ Well, if it's not ending, it very soon will be. } When they reached the familiar landscape, Robin accessed a private network and keyed his personal security code. "Little bird, requesting access."

"Voice print acknowledged and verified. Please provide visual identification."

For this, Robin removed his mask in front of the Team for the first time in six months. His arm computer scanned his retinas.

"Retinal scan confirmed. Please decipher current passcode. You have sixty seconds."

A series of letters and numbers appeared before him. He quickly replaced his mask, while inputting the correct series of algorithms and pattern transforms for that day of the week. Robin finally sent along the passcode.

"Passcode acknowledged. Please confirm number of vehicles and beings entering."

"One Martian bioship – one white Martian, two humans, one speedster, one Atlantian, one magician. One New Genesphere – one Kryptonian clone, one human."

"Invalid."

Robin smacked his forehead. "One Wolf! Kobra-venom enhanced!"

There was a long pause before the computer acknowledged, "Welcome, little bird and friends. Please proceed."

He relaxed back in his chair and sighed with relief.

"That… was excessive," Wally commented. "What would've happened if you got something wrong?"

"You don't want to know." He let M'gann know where to land the ship.

The Team disembarked to find deserted land and mountains around them.

"There's nothing here," Rocket observed.

No sooner had the words left her lips that a hidden entrance in the mountain opened up.

Catwoman stood in front of them. "Welcome, little darlings. Come in, come in. Alfred and I have been preparing meals."

Robin hugged her tight. "What happened?"

"I'll get to that. Let's settle in first." She gently nudged him toward the dining table.

Connor took the opportunity to hug her too. "You and Batman keep a lot of caves."

"Part of our charm." She patted his back. "This is my North American secret base. I've got a couple more, but since we'll be heading up to Watchtower soon, I didn't see any point in having you all travel further." She just managed to get Connor moving, when she was engulfed in Zatanna's embrace. "Little dove, your father and Doctor Fate will be fine. We'll make sure of it."

"I'm glad we still have you," she whispered against her neck.

"You would've been fine. You all have good heads on your shoulders."

Alfred was dressed casually in a sweater and slacks. He was not pleased that he hadn't had an opportunity to grab his bag. "Master Robin, it's good to see you are faring well."

"You too, Al."

Gesturing for everyone to sit down, Alfred, the consummate butler, puttered around. "Miss Selina was analyzing the specimens you recovered from Miss. Cheshire-"

"You figured out what it does." Wally looked at her eagerly. "Well? Is it alien tech? Nano-tech? What does it do?"

She pursed her lips, displeased that he had rudely interrupted Alfred. After everyone sat down, she took a seat at the head of the table. "I consulted with Dr. Roquette and Queen Mera. We determined that it was an alien bio-organism infused with nanotechnology and magic. Mera had her science guy, Vulko, and I reached out to Dr. Spence at Cadmus. The four of them determined that it was designed to shut down the mind's autonomy; basically turning anyone infected into a puppet. They're currently working on a cure-slash-vaccine that will counter its effects."

"Who is infected?" Kaldur asked grimly.

"The entire League."

"How do you know?" Artemis demanded. She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea that the most powerful beings on the planet were under someone else's control.

"Suffice to say, if Batman was infected, the entire League did not stand a chance." Alfred placed a large dish of lasagna on the table.

Robin lifted his head. "And Batman _was_ infected?"

"Several clues: when I sent a communication to him, he couldn't decode it."

M'gann was surprised. "You code all your communications?"

"Of course. Next, I sent a little virus into Watchtower systems for Batman to chase."

"And he didn't bite." Robin ate the food Alfred put in front of him without tasting it.

"And last but not least, Batman used his override code to allow Vandal Savage on to Watchtower." She didn't wait for any of them to interrupt again. "So far, all the League members are trapped on the satellite. I worked my magic to lock down the zeta tubes and the doors. As we speak, Faux-Batman and faux-Red Tornado are trying to get passed my hack."

"How long do we have?" Kaldur was mentally working through a list of each League member and their powers.

"Not very long." She nibbled on a breadstick. "I'm not sure what Savage is planning, but it does involve something off-world. Watchtower detected residuals of boom tube activity, but not since Savage first zeta'd to the satellite. It's likely Klarion and Teekl. Luckily my little code is keeping everyone busy; and Savage is a very patient man."

"He _is_ immortal," Zatanna commented.

"Do you think they'll come for us?" Rocket asked.

"Eventually. For now, Alfred and I removed all trace of you returning to the cave after disappearing to Santa Prisca. They don't know where you are. Since they're focus is getting the satellite back in working condition, I doubt they'll send anyone after you lot."

"That will give us the element of surprise."

"Not unless we can get on to Watchtower without them knowing." Wally corrected Kaldur. "It's one of the most secure locations for a reason."

"Maybe next to here." Robin was about to start hacking into the League system, when Selina placed a staying hand on his arm.

"No hacking at the dinner table." She paused to take another bite of her pasta. "Besides, we don't have to worry about that. I'll get us on Watchtower."

Connor's eyebrows lifted. "So what's the plan?"

* * *

Savage paced the satellite, frustrated. The Light's plan had worked and they had access to every member of the Justice League – all puppets to use as he willed. And yet, sixteen hours after succeeding at his plan and they were still trapped in their headquarters.

Somehow the zeta tubes had been locked out and all access hatches were sealed. The only way off the satellite would risk damage to the space station. He was unwilling to go to such extremes just yet.

Klarion hovered behind him playing puppet master. "I'm bored! Can't we have some fun yet?"

"No. We need to determine the cause of the system lock outs." Savage continued to pace. "They're systems are sophisticated enough to block boom tube travel as well. We need access."

Pouting, Klarion sighed and continued guiding the League puppets through their monotonous tasks.

The computer suddenly chimed and Catwoman appeared on screen. "Oh," she acted surprised, "good evening, Vandal."

He stopped in front of her. "Selina, dear. I take it I have you to thank for the system lockouts?"

"I should have guessed," Klarion cackled gleefully. "You're the only one that can cause as much chaos as I do."

She tapped her claws rhythmically on the table in front of her. "You know how I enjoy causing trouble for my dear Bats. He ignored my messages."

"And you took issue." Savage nodded, pleased that his plans were only delayed by a harmless prank. "This time, I'll have to take the blame for Batman ignoring you, my dear." He offered her an apologetic bow. "My apologies."

"I see." She leaned in and asked curiously, "For anything interesting?"

"If you would be so kind and set the satellite to rights, I'd be most appreciative and will gladly entertain your curiosity."

"Umm," she purred, "that sounds _interesting_." She shifted, about to key in the command to release the zeta tubes, but she paused. "Before I do, how is my dear Batman?"

Savage signaled Klarion to bring him up.

When she saw him, she smiled, "Well, thank you, Vandal for keeping him in such pristine condition. _I_ am _most_ appreciative." She sent a command to release the zeta tubes. "I'll be there in two shakes."

"I've always liked Catwoman," Klarion grinned. He rubbed Teekl's head. "But I've always had an affinity for cats."

"Yes. Luthor and Ra's were interested in inviting her to be part of our venture, but Queen Bee and the Brain did not see value in her membership." Savage stepped to the zeta tube and greeted her.

"Recognize: Catwoman."

"Selina," he took her hand, "it's lovely to see again."

"Vandal, how have you been?" She let him guide her over to Klarion. "Teekl," she held her arms for the feline, "I've missed you." She cradled the cat, scratching under his chin. "Have you been good for Klarion?" She nuzzled her nose against his. "Of course you have." She turned her attention back to the others. "Well? I believe you had something interesting to show me."

"Of course," Vandal showed her a sample of the alien tech and explained the science behind it. "It's ingenious. You see, Starro-Tech does not reprogram the mind, it offers us remote control of it."

"We know exactly who's infected and who's not." Klarion turned his attention back to his monitor. "Hey, some of my toys have been taken away." He growled, "Those brats must be onboard!"

Savage clenched his fist. "It's time to put these children in their place; once and for all."

Catwoman looked around as the entire League was mobilized. "I think this has gotten a little bit too interesting for this cat." She was about to move toward the zeta tubes when the explosion of battle knocked them offline. "Looks like you and I will have to find cover," she rubbed her cheek against Teekl's head.

Savage watched the situation fall apart around them. "Time to go."

"Come on," Klarion bragged, "we can take 'em!"

"Yes, but in the process, you'd lose control. Perhaps even destroy this station. And whether or not they're in our thrall, the Light still needs the Justice League alive for Phase Two."

"I wouldn't 'lose control,'" he argued, before he grudging admitted, "Okay, yeah… I bring the chaos…" He looked over at his familiar. "Teekl, time to go."

Teekl ignored his master, enjoying Catwoman's embrace.

Containing his exasperation at the situation, Savage held his hand out. "Selina, care to join us?"

She smiled, "Do I get to hear about Phase Two?" She took Savage's arm and escaped Watchtower through Klarion's witchcraft.

* * *

The Team – through a hard fought battle – managed to cure the League of Starro-tech's control. They took a moment to celebrate the New Year before sitting down to wait for the League to regain consciousness.

When the League finally gathered in the conference room with the Team, explanations began.

"Once Queen Mera, Vulko, Dr. Roquette and Dr. Spence were able to engineer a cure-slash-vaccine," Robin passed a sample of the cure to Batman, "we gained access to Watchtower and proceeded to distribute it to the League."

"The Team did good work here," Superman acknowledged. He offered a smile at Superboy. "You did good work."

"Uh… thanks," Connor reddened slightly at the praise. "But Selina did most of the work."

"If she had not realized what had happened," Kaldur agreed, "the situation could have been much worse."

Wonder Woman crossed her arms. "She should not have access to Watchtower systems. How did she take control? How does she even know about Watchtower?"

"Diana," Superman scolded, "if Selina hadn't taken over the systems, we would have been at Savage's mercy. Who knows what he would have made us do?"

"We owe Catwoman our thanks," Hawkman agreed.

Batman's fist was closed tightly. "Robin, where is Selina?"

His gulp was almost audible. "She convinced Savage that she was playing a practical joke on you, so she could reactivate the zeta tubes. She masked our zeta trails so we could get onto the station undetected; while she distracted Savage and Klarion."

"Ha," Ollie grinned, "Selina could convince a thirsty man to give up his water."

"While the Team was facing the League, we lost track of her movements," Kaldur explained.

Connor finally said what Robin and Kaldur were hesitating to say, "We think Savage and Klarion took her with them."

M'gann's hands were clasped, nervous. "She'll be alright, won't she?"

"What's to worry about?" Wally said, "She took the cure-tech already and she totally had Savage wrapped around her finger."

While they had been talking, Batman accessed Watchtower systems and quickly bypassed Catwoman's lockouts. He brought up the security feed and played it back.

Wonder Woman shot to her feet. "She's a traitor!"

Everyone else in the League rolled their eyes at her reaction.

"Diana!" Superman tried to reign in her accusations before the Team tried to throttle her.

{ I used to respect Wonder Woman. } Zatanna crossed her arms and glared at the Amazon.

{ She's a little slow on the uptake, isn't she? } Artemis smirked.

Robin's lip twitched. { She's jealous. }

{ Of Catwoman? } Wally asked. { Who wouldn't be? Catwoman is hot. }

Artemis surreptitious slapped his arm.

{ Because Batman's interests are not aimed in Wonder Woman's direction. } Kaldur tried to keep a straight face.

{ Wonder Woman's in love with Batman? } M'gann said in surprise. { I thought… well, she seems attached to Superman. }

{ Superman's married. }

{ Really? } voices sounded loudly in everyone's mind.

Robin mentally shrugged. { Don't tell. }

While the Team was focused on their own private discussions, the League spoke around them.

"Clearly, she's trying to discover what Phase Two is." Flash pointed out the obvious.

"She has you all fooled; just like Savage and Klarion," Wonder Woman argued. "She had hold of Klarion's familiar. He could not run."

"And how was she supposed to deal with Savage?" Ollie demanded. "Ask him to pretty please hand himself over to the authorities?"

"I would have secured him with my lasso," she bragged.

"And how were you supposed to do that? _You_ were lying unconscious on the ground," smirked GL.

"Any League member would have captured Savage and Klarion," she said insistently.

As usual, it was Batman that ended the discussion. "To what end?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but he stopped her.

"We all heard Savage. The Injustice League was simply a distraction. Luthor, the League of Shadows, Queen Bee, the Brain, Vandal Savage and Klarion have formed a secret society. They've managed to keep their existence – their movements – hidden from our knowledge. Catwoman made the right move – the only move she could – find out as much about Phase Two as she could without Savage, Klarion or this _Light_ discovering she's not on their side."

"She should have tried to stop them!"

"Diana, you're being unreasonable." Superman frowned at her. "Catwoman does not have the abilities to face Savage nor Klarion in a physical battle. If she had revealed her allegiances, she would have risked the Team, the League and Watchtower. You're smarter than this."

Manhunter offered the most diplomatic solution. "Perhaps the Starro-tech and the cure-tech have had an adverse effect on Wonder Woman's physiology. Diana, perhaps you should rest."

"I'm fine."

"You're a blathering idiot," Aquaman remarked.

"And you're all trusting fools."

Tiring of the conversation, Batman sent a message to Robin's wrist computer. [ How long did Catwoman tell you to wait before going after her? ]

[ She didn't say. ] Robin replied. [ She didn't exactly tell us this part of her plan. Get to Watchtower; distribute the cure. That's as far as she got. ] He glanced at the clock. [ Should we be worried? ]

Batman had been watching the clock as well. [ Not yet. ]

[ How long should we wait? ]

[ I don't know. ]

"Recognize: Catwoman."

All heads turned as one to the zeta tube.

"Looks like I made it just in time for the party." Catwoman walked toward them. She was stopped by the Team engulfing her in a group hug. "Oh, my little darlings, I didn't mean to worry you. I would have been back sooner, but Savage does like to go on." She smirked at the League members, "You know how evil masterminds like to brag. And poor Teekl has been so put upon by Klarion – dragged from dimension to dimension; enlarged and shrunk – when all he really wants to do is nap. I gave him a nice cuddle and then sent him after Klarion. It will take quite a while before the Lord of Chaos can appease his familiar." She removed a device from her belt and tossed it to Batman. "For you, dear Bats. Belated Christmas present. I was having a hard time picking just the right thing. What do you get the man who has everything?" She offered him a wink from behind her goggles. "I know how you love to sift through surveillance video." Walking up to him, she placed her hand behind his head and drew him down for a deep kiss. "Happy New Year, Batman."

Without any further explanation and without allowing anyone to get a word in edgewise, she walked backward back toward the zeta tubes. "Now, it's been a long day and this cat needs her catnap."

"Recognize: Catwoman."

She gave a jaunty wave and disappeared.

{ That just happened, didn't it? } Artemis stared in bafflement at the spot where Catwoman had just been.

M'gann glanced around at the League, still standing completely befuddled. { Yup, that definitely just happened. }

Robin smirked. This wasn't the first time he witnessed Catwoman in action. { Ladies and gentlemen, Catwoman at her finest. Totally leaves her audience begging for more. }

{ I wonder if I could learn to do that? } Zatanna thought.

Wally exchanged looks with the other boys. { Maybe leave that technique to Catwoman. }

* * *

When Bruce's arms wrapped around her, Selina snuggled back against him, purring. "Finished playing with the clubhouse?"

"For now." He kissed the top of her head, holding her close. "I was worried about you."

"I was worried about _you_."

"Thank you for saving the day. I have a suspicion that if you weren't involved, things would have gone a lot differently." His mind had worked through as many 'what ifs' as he could process for the evening. He knew ultimately that if Catwoman hadn't been in the equation, things would have been disastrous for the League… and most likely the world.

"You would have been fine. The Team would have handled it. I just… gave them a head-start." Selina didn't want to consider the possibilities. All she cared was that things had worked out and everything was back to normal.

"Regardless. Thank you for taking care of Dick and Alfred… and the Team. I couldn't bear it if anything had happened to them."

"They're family… even the League are irritating in-laws. I protect my family."

That sentiment was exactly why he never doubted Selina's motives. She was admittedly not the most law abiding citizen, but she never did anything to harm people. She valued life; and most especially the happiness of who she considered family. Bruce knew that he and Alfred and Dick, and most of the Team were who she had adopted as her family. He pressed a kiss to her neck. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Since he knew she was in a good mood, he asked, "Could you tell me how you managed to block boom tube activity to Watchtower?"

"Sleep," she moaned, wanting his brain to rest at a decent hour for once.

"Please?"

Sighing, she grumbled, "I asked Sphere. Boom tube tech comes from the same planet that she does."

He felt the change in her body as sleep took over. There were still a lot of details to sift through and investigate, but he decided to leave it for another day. He placed another kiss on her shoulder before settling in to rest.

The End


End file.
